Château Coutet Sauternes-Barsac 2020 - 1er Cru Classé

Bettane & Desseauve

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.

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

About the wine:

It has a lovely perfume of pastry, apricot and tangerine. Despite a more moderate liqueur, with a few grams less sugar than in previous years, it retains a lovely sweetness on the palate. But it soon asserts itself with the tonic, mineral force of the Barsac soil, and its invigorating intensity, with lovely bitters and citrus zest notes on the finish.

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

About the wine:

This beautifully perfumed wine is richly textured and full of spice. Its acidity and lightness are strongly expressed in a wine that is both rich and light. Drink from 2028.

Jeb Dunnuck

About the wine:

Château Coutet 2020 is absolutely magnificent, with a concentrated, powerful style in its nuances of caramelized orange, honeyed flowers, pineapple upside-down cake, toast and spice. Rich, full-bodied and layered, it is nonetheless concentrated and pure, with laser-like precision and liveliness on the palate. This Sauternes tour de force will blow you away for the next 2 decades. 2024-2044

Terre de Vins

About the wine:

What a remarkable wine again this year! A voyage of initiation where everything is a demonstration. A nuanced, elegant, honeyed nose of old rose, verbena and mirabelle plum. Attack of perfumed verbena, noble matter, silky. Caressing volume. Long and refined power. Monumental in 2020.

Vert de Vin

About the wine:

The nose is elegant, racy, precise, stylish, nicely marked by its terroir, offering a certain straightforwardness, depth (with finesse) and complexity. Notes of lime, crystallized lemon and, to a lesser extent, minerality are combined with a lovely racy/chiselled/sharp edge, hints of zest, crunchy pineapple, as well as fine hints of white flowers, lime blossom and discreet hints of nuts. The palate is fruity and well-balanced, offering freshness, juiciness, acidity, tension, precision and good definition, with a chiselled/sharp edge (expresses its terroir with dignity and finesse). On the palate, this wine expresses notes of crystallized lemon, zest and, more lightly, yuzu, combined with hints of candied mandarin, crisp pineapple and lemon blossom, as well as hints of lime blossom, white flowers, candied white berries and fine hints of spice. Good length.

Tastingbook - Markus Del Monego

About the wine:

Bright golden color. Expressive nose with aromas reminiscent of candied orange peel, fresh grenadilla, ripe peaches, dried apricots and hints of honey and almonds. Vanilla and gingerbread notes in the background. On the palate, opulent sweetness is tamed by elegant acidity and fine minerality. The fruit is layered with granadilla, mango and peach jam, spicy ginger notes and peppery spices in the background. An excellent Coutet with depth and length.