A Typical Limestone

The singular architecture of Cos d’Estournel does not leave indifferent. Instilled by founder Louis-Gaspard d’Estournel and his passion for Asia, the exotic feel of the estate has made it an icon today. But it is also a place deeply rooted in local traditions, with façades built of the region’s native limestone, façades that radiate the warmth of the sun’s rays at all hours of the day.

The same limestone was used in the construction of all of Bordeaux’s historic edifices. In the mid-nineteenth century, the region counted up to six hundred quarries. Today only one remains, located in the Entre-Deux-Mers. Limestone is easy to cut and sculpt and its soft blond or cream-colored hue can be quite stunning, particularly following renovation works, like those undergone by so many buildings in the city of Bordeaux.

Louis-Gaspard d’Estournel began construction work at Cos d’Estournel around 1825. He sought constantly to expand his vineyard while pursuing a ceaseless quest to equip his estate with facilities on par with his ambitions, acquiring neighboring estates one by one and building and expanding to further the quality of the installations on-site. His building material of choice, especially for the estate’s Pagodas, remained limestone sourced from quarries on the right bank of the Gironde Estuary praised for its “clear, pale yellow hue” by the French writer Stendhal. A letter written to a stone merchant by the estate’s manager in July 1843 references an order of “two or three boatloads of fine-grade stone from the town of Bourg for the two pavilions of the chateau of Cos.” The first pagoda had likely already been erected.

To this day, the same stone continues to be used to renovate the estate. In 2008, when Michel Reybier had the Pagodas restored to their original splendor, the same limestone was deployed. Indeed, to highlight the singular nature of the estate and its deep roots in its exceptional terroir, only the region’s native limestone will do.