He never ceased wishing to enlarge the estate, driven by the conviction that the Cos hill was home to an exceptional terroir. Thus, between 1791 and 1852, the estate grew in size from 14 ha to 45 ha (including 34 ha of vineyards).
The aim of this major project was to make Cos wine an exceptional and greatly renowned vintage, which naturally led Louis-Gaspard to expand his distribution channels beyond France and India. He thus became doubtless the first to distribute his production through trading houses established in Africa (Prom and Maurel in Gorée), in the Indian Ocean (Arnal and Cayrou et Compagnie in Mauritius), and in China (V Fabre and Son in Macao).
In line with Louis Gaspard’s wishes, Château Cos d’Estournel is entirely dedicated to wine. He himself vacated the premises in favour of this precious nectar and went to live at the Château de Pomys.
Louis Gaspard d’Estournel passed away childless in Saint-Estèphe on 25 January 1853 at the advanced age of 91 years old, drawing his last breath in his room at the Château de Pomys, from where he could see the roof of the Pagodas of the Château Cos d’Estournel.
“A white Italian villa, calm and soothing, half lost amid the shade of the saplings surrounding it! Terraces, colonnades, English gardens, meadows, orchards, huge gardens…” Thus ran the description of the residence of the founder of Cos d’Estournel in the mid-19th century, exactly as he had dreamed it would be. A century and a half later, the young saplings of the magnificent grounds have grown into venerable trees, yet the spirit has remained the same.
Michel Reybier, careful to perpetuate Louis-Gaspard d’Estournel’s values and ambitions, has honored him by finally bringing together the Cos d’Estournel estate and the private residence of the “Maharadjah de Saint-Estèphe”, just a few hundred meters away. With this new construction, the remarkable architectural ensemble has recaptured its original integrity.
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