Situated on a bluff overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc has been bringing its unique breed of laidback elegance to the French Riviera for 150 years. Driven by a deep-seated curiosity, Head Sommelier Jérémy Berthon presides over the wine cellars of the legendary establishment. He shares with us his love of wine and his impressions of Cos d’Estournel.
What began as simple curiosity quickly developed into a veritable passion when I was hired to work as an apprentice in the cellar and serve wine at a restaurant in Saint-Étienne. I was only sixteen or seventeen and found myself surrounded by a host of fascinating wines. I desperately wanted to comprehend the mysteries of the different labels, the different vintages, the different wines.
After this experience, I decided to specialize in the sommelier trade at the hospitality school in Tain l’Hermitage, where I was fortunate to study with Pascal Bouchet, an outstanding, fervent instructor with an encyclopedic knowledge of wine. During those two years, I had the opportunity to discover exceptional places including Courchevel’s Cheval Blanc and Monaco’s Louis XV. My passion continued to grow as I learned the necessary rigor and discipline from some of the industry’s top professionals, including Sébastien Labe and Edouard Delavaux.
During my studies in Tain l’Hermitage, I quickly grew enamored of Syrah wines from Cornas, Hermitage and Côte Rôtie. It was during my first restaurant experiences that I discovered the wines of Bordeaux. At Cheval Blanc, the wine list included magnificent vertical series of vintages of some of Bordeaux’s finest estates, among which was Cos d’Estournel.
Indeed, it was at that time that I discovered several vintages of Cos, and they fascinated me. Then I was fortunate enough to work at La Réserve Ramatuelle, a property belonging to Michel Reybier, where the wine list included an exceptional vertical series of more than twenty-five vintages of Cos d’Estournel.
In 2015, a guest asked me to choose a wine for his table of twelve. I served them a magnum of Cos d’Estournel 2000. For a magnum, it felt almost young and then it opened up wonderfully, revealing supple tannins and pristine fruit. But you could also sense its potential for growing even more sublime with age. That to me is the quintessential Cos: elegant, silky, rich and generous.
The most outstanding vintage I have had the pleasure of tasting is likely the 1982, a complex, supple wine. I also have a weakness for the 1990 vintage, which is from the same year I was born, and has a singular personality. It requires time to open up but once it does, it is generous and exquisite. Truth be told, I have never been disappointed by Cos d’Estournel. Whenever I open a bottle, I am always so curious to see how it will taste and what it will be like. I am always surprised, and with Cos, the surprises are always good ones.
When you arrive at the estate and find yourself standing in front of that immense sculpted wooden door from Zanzibar, you can’t help but feel the same excitement as when you open a bottle, the feeling that you are about to unearth a mystery. What is really astounding is how much the wine and the place where it is made resemble one another; they are both supremely elegant, absolutely sumptuous.
The main edifice’s incredible architecture was preserved and further enhanced by works undertaken to modernize the winemaking facilities within: all has been designed so that the estate’s wines may be crafted under ideal conditions. Cos is more than just a name or a label; there is an immense amount of work that goes into producing its wines. Michel Reybier has dedicated great energy to his estate over the last twenty years and his quest for excellence and the evolution of the place is something that you can taste in each glass.
The story of Cos is exceptional and this of course contributes to the appeal of the estate’s wines. We regularly have guests at Eden-Roc who are devotees of Cos d’Estournel and it is a joy to continue to nourish their attachment to the estate. But it is even more enjoyable to initiate newcomers to Cos. I remember one client who was zealous about Haut-Brion Blanc. One day I served him a blind tasting of Cos d’Estournel Blanc. He was astounded and ended up becoming a great fan of Cos d’Estournel. Cos d’Estournel Blanc is wonderfully elegant, pure, concentrated and balanced, truly a great wine. In my opinion, it is the best white wine produced in the Bordeaux region today.
Thanks to my profession, I am lucky enough to travel. My journeys always take me to winegrowing regions. Most recently I visited California and I hope to go to New Zealand soon. I tend to spend 75% of my vacation in winery cellars. It helps satisfy my curiosity, although my wife sometimes wishes we would spend a bit more time in the sun!
