Responsibility to the environment

Taking time to observe, listen and understand. Taking time to learn too, and to grasp the mystical aspect of wine: a treasure of virtues given to men by nature to allow them to create, as well as can be, the greatest wines.

The Cos d’Estournel team keeps this gift in mind every day, as they walk through the plots of vines to care for them wholeheartedly. Respect for the environment is a responsibility carried every minute of every day, probably even more so in an estate born over two hundred years ago. Patiently, respectfully, humbly, the women and men of Cos d´Estournel tend to the vines and make the wines, all the while thinking about how they could give back to Nature what it has given them.

Preserving the precious heritage of Cos d’Estournel is paramount: each action is undertaken with a global vision and is based on the best techniques. Whether in the vineyard or in the cellar, the teams are tasked with favoring a quality of the work as natural as possible.

Cos d’Estournel was certified HVE (High Environmental Value) in 2019 and ISO 14001 in 2020. These certifications recognize our ongoing commitment to implementing environmentally responsible processes over the last two decades. However, the long-term vision for the vineyard can also be seen in the minds of those who, day after day, tend to its preservation.

Hedges have been planted for the past ten years to protect both flora and fauna, highly advanced techniques and know-hows come to serve a purpose of utmost precision, our vineyard floor has systematically benefited from cover cropping, which helps balance the growth of our vines and limit erosion, for the past fifteen years, and preventive methods are preferred over corrective ones.

Our decision to set up our own wastewater treatment facility in 2001 may have seemed premature at the time, but Cos d’Estournel is particular in that it is surrounded by marshland. We are fortunate enough to work in a rich, diverse natural environment, complete with tranquil streams, shady forestland and verdant pastures, and as winegrowers, we must consider and protect the nature and wildlife that surround our vines.

Cos d´Estournel benefits from an exceptional terroir due to the diversity of its soils and subsoils. By analyzing these soils in an exhaustive way, by seeking to understand the specificity of each plot, the Cos d’Estournel team has established an exhaustive map which has allowed them, for more than twenty years, to manage the vines in the most natural way possible.

Our cellar was entirely rebuilt in 2008 according to the most avant-garde philosophies and our environmentally responsible approach. Dug underground, it was designed to minimize environmental impact while reducing energy consumption. We selected the most energy efficient isothermal vats available; their state-of-the-art finish on the inside is extremely smooth, thereby minimizing the amount of water and other products necessary for cleaning.

Cos d’Estournel is more than two hundred years old. It is our duty to pursue a long-term vision of the environment in order to prepare for future generations: indeed, we are only passing through, but each woman and man at the estate is responsible for the transmission of a unique heritage. They work, we work every day with the idea that future generations are counting on us to protect the environment while making the best possible wines.