CHÂTEAU COUTET
2017 1er Cru Classé Barsac
The 2017 Coutet, which was tasted both as a final blend and directly from several different lots in barrel, has a very well defined bouquet with pure wild honey and orange blossom aromas that gain intensity with aeration. The palate is crisp and fresh, underpinned by Coutet’s trademark acidic drive that counterbalances the intense honeyed fruit laced with orange zest and white peach. Superb. Drinking range: 2022 - 2050 Rating: 94-96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2018)
* 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 2017 Coutet has lovely notions of spice cake, fresh ginger and honeysuckle over a core of lemon curd, beeswax and preserved peaches. Rich, spicy and quite decadent in the mouth, it has wonderful freshness and depth, finishing very long. Rating: 95-97 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2018)
Another rocking sweet wine is the 2017 Château Coutet. This big, full-bodied, opulent beauty has serious notes of orange blossom, buttered citrus, and honey, yet also shows the more pure, precise, and elegant style of the vintage on the palate. The cool, overcast summer allowed good ripeness while preserving the purity of fruit and the whites (and dessert wines) from this vintage are beautiful! Rating: 93-95 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Apr 2018)
Lots of powdered mushrooms, dried lemons and apricots. Full-bodied, dense and layered. Beautiful finish. A top sweet white for the vintage. Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2018)
Barsac. 75% Sémillon, 23% Sauvignon Blanc, 2% Muscadelle. Unusual aroma – almond paste and something more herbal as well as the rich, spicy citrus. Powerful bitter-orange flavours, deep and long. More power than elegance at this stage. Long, tangy finish. Drinking range: 2025 - 2037 Rating: 17 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2018)
Bright pineapple and white peach flavors rush forth, with a zip of tangerine running through the creamy finish. Shows lots of honeysuckle accents on the finish. Youthfully tight, but delivers wonderful length. Rating: 92-95 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2018)
In this vintage the blend is 75% Semillon, 23% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Muscadelle, picked at a very tight 8 hl/ha from those vines at the heart of the vineyard which escaped the frost. It has a very pure character, all white peach and orange zest, with vanilla flower scents, and a little chalk dust. The palate has texture, weight and sweet concentration. A fresh and polished style, grippy, with real phenolic grip and pith, but with vibrant acidity and freshness. A brilliant style of fruit, fresh, bright, pure and polished, with impressive energy and vigour, with a brilliant thrust of acidity and minerality. A very impressive blend, with an incisive acid-fresh structure. Rating: 94-96 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2018)
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.