The estate
Château Coutet is located in the Barsac appellation in the Sauternes region. In 1787, Thomas Jefferson, the future President of the United States, believed that Château Coutet was the best Sauternes wine in Barsac.
This Barsac wine takes its name from the term "Coutet", derived from the Gascon word for knife. This word perfectly sums up the unique style of the estate's wines, which are sharp, lively and fresh.
The vintage
The 2016 vintage was the perfect climate for making and ageing a fine wine. After a wet spring that enabled the flowering period to take place in good conditions, the summer was particularly dry, with light rainfall over several days in mid-August that helped the grapes to ripen. Botrytis appeared as soon as the fog arrived in the last week of September. Ripening was carried out gradually and evenly, as the botrytis cinerea was able to develop in the purest possible way.
Vinification and ageing
Harvested in 8 consecutive selections by hand. Aged for 18 months in 100% French oak barrels.
The blend
Sémillon (100%)
The tasting
Colour
A beautiful yellow colour with golden and greenish highlights.
Nose
The nose reveals aromas of citrus fruit (orange), pineapple, peach, vanilla and broom, with subtle brioche notes.
Palate
The attack on the palate is powerful, generous and smooth, with sappy notes that are a characteristic of the appellation and of Château Coutet in particular. A pleasant freshness can then be noticed in the mid-palate. The wine is suave, dense and superbly balanced. The finish is lively, and offers the purest expression of Barsac.
With coaxing, the pale lemon colored 2016 Coutet slowly unfurls to give a myriad of preserved lemons, pineapple pastry, almond croissant, fresh ginger and lime blossoms scents with nuances of chalk dust, white pepper, star anise and cedar. Rich, seductive and yet exquisitely balanced, the satiny-textured palate has layer upon layer of citrus and savory notions, finishing very long and spicy.