CHÂTEAU COUTET
2015 1er Cru Classé Barsac
The 2015 Coutet has a sense of airiness on the nose, with yellow plum, white peach, light saffron scents and almond in the background. The palate is fresh on the entry with pure botrytized fruit, a keen countervailing line of acidity and hints of stem ginger toward the lingering, persistent finish. This is superb. Tasted blind at the 2015 Bordeaux Ten-Year-On tasting at Farr Vintners. Drinking range: 2027 - 2050 Rating: 95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jun 2025)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
The 2015 Coutet is a little reduced on the nose and lacks the flair of some of its peers. Pinched at the moment - maybe going through a sulky phase? The palate is well balanced and very harmonious, viscous in texture with perfectly matched acidity and fine delineation and precision toward the finish. Once the bouquet awakens this should be a seriously fine Barsac/Sauternes. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting. Drinking range: 2022 - 2050 Rating: 95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jul 2019)
The 2015 Coutet is pale lemon colored with intense grapefruit, lemon pie and pineapple notes with touches of crushed rocks, honeycomb and lime zest plus a waft of orange blossoms. Rich, opulent and layered with loads of tropical and citrus notes, it has wonderful freshness, finishing long. Drinking range: 2018 - 2048 Rating: 95 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Sept 2018)
Showing the elegance and lightness of touch that is the hallmark of this château’s sweet wines, this is refreshing yet effortlessly concentrated, with white flowers and peaches on the nose, subtle cinnamon oak, plenty of mid-palate weight and tangy acidity. Just as impressive as the 2014. Drinking range: 2019 - 2030 Rating: 95 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (May 2016)
The 2015 Coutet comes with 153 grams per liter of residual sugar at 13.8% alcohol. It has a fragrant bouquet with acacia honey, citrus scents and a touch of melted butter, all very well defined. The palate is medium-bodied with impressive purity, those limestone soils imparting the acidity that defined this Barsac, and lending great precision and tension on the live-wire finish. This is a wonderful Coutet that feels energetic - a compressed spring coil that will drink earlier than the likes of Climens or de Fargues, but has the DNA to age gracefully over 25-30 years. Drinking range: 2019 - 2050 Rating: 94-96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2016)
Looks very substantial in the glass. Floral nose. Massive weight. This tastes very ripe indeed and with considerable botrytis influence. Quite a dramatic statement! Though the finish is surprisingly dry and appetising. Drinking range: 2028 - 2050 Rating: 18 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2016)
This has 153 g/l residual sugar and 13.8% alcohol. This feels very pure on the nose, but so expressive as well. I get scents of creamed white peach, overlaid with quartzy crystals and angelica. The palate is pure, very polished, very mineral and also substantial, with vibrant acidity underpinning it. This has beautiful charm and substance. An impressive barrel sample, showing a broad sweetness, underpinned by acid-fresh energy and drive. A fine, cleansed character in the finish. Rating: 17-18/20 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2016)
Very rich, deep aromas of lemon verbena, peach, cinnamon; enticing. Rich, dense and suave palate, with a honeyed richness to the spicy, fresh citrus and apple jelly flavours. A large-scaled Coutet showcasing a hint of passerillage (dried grapes). Outstanding, but I prefer the 2014. Drinking range: 2020 - 2035 Rating: 92 Ian d'Agata, TerroirSense (Apr 2016)
Vibrant, with a singed almond frame sprinting along, this offers nectarine, white peach and star fruit notes. Mirabelle plum and pineapple details echo through the finish. Very long, boasting terrific range. Rating: 94-97 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2016)
The 2015 Coutet is nicely lifted, gracious and understated. Candied apple, Jolly Rancher and exotic flowers are all nicely balanced in this attractive, mid-weight Sauternes. This is a very pretty Barsac built on aromatic nuance and bright, salivating acidity. Rating: 90-93 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2016)
A Coutet with great depth and fruit. So much dried tropical fruit character, bright acidity and fruit sweetness. Vivid and clean. Rating: 94-95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Mar 2016)
Château Coutet
Barsac Premier Cru 1855 A square tower indicates the origins of Château Coutet as a 13th Century fortification. Indeed the château is a mixture of various styles added at various times in its long history. At the turn of the 19th Century, Château Coutet came into the possession of the Lur-Saluces family, owners of Château d'Yquem, and they owned it until 1923. Since 1977, Coutet has been owned by the Baly family, represented today by brothers Dominique and Philippe. Château Coutet is one of the two Premier Cru properties in Barsac (the other being Château Climens). There are 38.5ha of vineyard, given over 75% Semillon, 23% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Muscadelle. Wines are fermented in wood (50% new) and aged for up to 18 months.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those of the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do call us, but see the 'practical notes' below.
Ordering
Prices are per case as listed 'in bond London'.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment from you to buy the wines you order on release, subject to the price being below the upper price of the estimated band on our website. You may also set your own upper price limit, lower or higher than ours. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability. Providing this firm commitment to us effectively gives you priority.
Wines listed on the website (after any pre-orders and allocations have been fulfilled) can be ordered in the usual way via the website order form or by email or telephone 020 7221 1982, always subject to stock remaining.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are contractually binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of the confirmation date, apart from pre-orders which are binding if the release price is below the top estimate or other price you have set.
Invoices are raised at the In Bond price, excluding any duty and VAT which will become payable at the prevailing rates on arrival of the wine if required duty paid.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or credit transfer. We reserve the right to charge 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £1000, orders below this total will be charged £16.50+ VAT when the wine invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery for 2016 Bordeaux primeurs will probably be completed by October 2019, but we make no guarantee as to specific delivery times, and some of the Sauternes may be later.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes) for immediate payment. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option, but do please note that confirmed orders are still binding as above even if the final invoice has not been issued.
When the wine is shipped, unless previously specified we will assume that delivery is to be to bonded storage with Elephant Storage, but in any case, we will contact you requesting any alternative instructions. If you have another bonded delivery address you would like the wine to go to, please tell us at the time of ordering. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue invoices at the rates prevailing at the time for the excise duty (currently £25.98 per case) and the VAT (currently at 20%) on the total of the wine cost and the duty.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the bottle size you want. Even if a wine is only listed in one size, you can order any bottle or case size you want if the property supplies it, but you must order the case/bottle size you require and check that the correct size has been invoiced.
Additional charges are as follows:-
- +£15 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£15 per case of 6 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£35 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£45 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.