Cos d’Estournel brings new meaning to the phrase “the elephant in the room”. In this case, in the cellar, on the label, on the pagodas, fashioned into topiaries … It’s testament to founder Louis “Maharajah of Saint-Estèphe” Gaspard’s history of trade and love affair with India. Some bottles were even shipped to India and brought back because the boat journeys apparently accelerated aging and made the wines smoother. I’m pretty elated: A château that used to make wine drunk by maharajahs, nabobs and really snobby wine ponces now also makes them — with its second wine Les Pagodes de Cos — for the likes of little ol’ me.