Château Coutet 2008 - Sauternes-Barsac Premier Cru Classé

Name: Château Coutet 2008 - Sauternes-Barsac Premier Cru Classé
Brand: Château Coutet
Rating: 4.3 (83 reviews)

Sauternes-Barsac|White wine

Bordeaux

White

Sold individually

Drink or Keep

4.3/5 (83 customers)

92/100

Robert Parker

17,5/20

Bettane & Desseauve

17/20

Gault & Millau

16,5/20

RVF

90/100

Wine Enthusiast

Château Coutet 2008 is the archetype of the estate: a wine with character, perfectly balanced between sweetness and liveliness. Full-bodied, airy and pure, its flavors evolve over the course of the tasting, moving from candied fruit to citrus, roast and exotic fruit. The final bouquet offers a saline touch underpinned by minerality. Juicy and crisp, this 2008 is ready to be enjoyed by the most impatient! In the cellar, it will continue to evolve to the delight of wine-lovers.

Features

Estate

Château Coutet

Cuvée

Premier Cru Classé

Vintage

2008

Designation

Sauternes-Barsac

Region

Bordeaux

Grape varieties

75% Sémillon, 23% Sauvignon Blanc, 2% Muscadelle

Terroirs

Clay soil on limestone subsoil

Viticulture

Reasoned

Harvest

Manual with 7 consecutive selections

Winemaking

In barrels: 100% new wood, 100% French oak

Breeding

18 months in French oak barrels

Alcohol content

14 %

Tasting & pairing

Eye

Copper-gold color with golden highlights

Nose

Opens with notes of very ripe exotic fruit (mango, pineapple...) and lemon zest, mixed with a hint of vanilla.

Mouth

Round and suave, combining a pleasant "saline" minerality bringing freshness to the presence of very ripe fruit, a varied palette of exotic fruits, candied mirabelle plums, quince paste, expressing the "roasted" impression of a lovely botrytis, while the mid-palate returns to the liveliness of citrus fruits and the aromatic persistence of ripe pineapple...

Serve

AT 11-12°C

Open

1/2h before

Drink before

2038

Food and wine pairing

Enjoy with foie gras, lamb curry, blue-veined cheeses (Bleus, Roquefort...), fruit, cream or caramel desserts.

Château Coutet

More information on Château Coutet

Barsac

More information on Barsac

Expert opinion

Bettane & Desseauve

Wine rated (2011 guide) 17.5/20 (Reference wine)

Domaine rated (2019 guide) 4*Stars (Very high quality producers, the glories of the French vineyard)

About the wine:

Lots of generosity and smoothness, great follow-through on the palate, here and fortunately (on these Barsac terroirs), 2008 is a superb vintage.

About the domain :

Coutet (pronounced "Coutette", à la gasconne) is condemned to be the eternal rival of Climens, in Barsac, which is not a miserable fate. Its soils are slightly different, and while the lemony notes born of the limestone bedrock can be found, Coutet produces wines that are a little more nervous and mineral than Climens. In recent vintages, the wine has become more unctuous and liqueur-like, in line with its peers. 2014 won't match the château's greatest vintages, but 2015 should dazzle.

Guide des Vins Gault & Millau

Wine rated (2011 guide) 17/20 (Outstanding)

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

Rated (2011 guide) 92/100 (Outstanding wine)

About the wine:

Blind-tested with peers. A very floral, exuberant bouquet of white peach and grapefruit. Lively and very pure. The palate is harmonious, with more sweetness than in previous years. It's not viscous in texture, suggesting high acidity to reduce all that sweetness (a typical Coutet trait). The finish displays hints of ginger and dried orange peel that linger well, and the overall impression is that it will take a few years to settle in.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

Wine rated (2011 guide) 16.5/20 (Very good wine)

Domaine rated (2019 guide) 3*Stars (They represent the excellence of the French vineyard. The best terroirs cultivated by the greatest winemakers. Tasting their wine is always a magical moment)

About the wine:

A rare wine with only 5.5 hl/ha produced! The result is a Barsac with a delicate, airy style, very finely fruited and more floral than usual in vintages richer in liqueur.

About the domain :

This premier grand cru classé is one of the two lords of Barsac, along with Climens. In the majority of plots, the famous red soil - a combination of iron oxide and limestone rock - gives the wine an extra nervousness compared to its close neighbors with equivalent sugar content. The citrus and acacia aromas are similar to those of Climens, but Coutet generally expresses itself more quickly and often has a little less liqueur, apart from the famous crème de tête known as cuvée Madame. Alsatian Philippe Baly and his brother Dominique, along with his daughter Aline, have been conscientiously managing the estate since their father bought it in 1977. We've been following this very regular estate for many years.

Wine Enthusiast

Wine rated (2009 guide) 90/100

Customer reviews

Customer rating

4.3/5

out of 83 reviews