A “Super Second” growth in the Saint-Estephe appellation that makes one of the most exciting Bordeaux wines today. The estate was given its name in 1811 by Louis-Gaspard d'Estournel and within a few years Cos d'Estournel became a favourite of the rich and royalty, and was even exported to such exotic places as India. The eastern influence of this subcontinent country is still visible in the design and the architecture of the winery. The estate changed hands several times in its history before it was purchased by Fernand Ginestet in 1917. Decades later, Ginestet's grandchildren, Jean-Marie, Yves and Bruno Prats took over the ownership and management, although, in 1998 Bruno sold the property to the Merlaut family (owners of the Taillan Group), who in 2000 passed it on to Michel Reybier. The French businessman employed Bruno Prats' son, Jean-Guillaume, who helped design the most modern winemaking facilities in the whole of Bordeaux, e.g. the winery is operated entirely by gravity without any force of a pump. Until his departure in 2013, when he left his ancestors’ estate to work for Moet-Hennessy, he was one of the region’s most influential winemakers.