Château Coutet 2020

A flattering, plump sweetie, with baked apple, pineapple chutney, graham cracker, ginger, toasted almond and pie crust notes. Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle. Drink now through 2035. 5,000 cases made.

Lush and peachy on the nose, this is quite honeyed. Silky and no heavyweight, it displays bright acidity that cleanses the palate. It's not very nuanced but has solid fruit. While lacking some energy and drive, it already drinks well. Quite long, with a creamy finish. Organic.

Pineapple, mangoes, honeysuckle and yellow flowers here, with acacia honey too. Sweet yet fresh, with pretty tropical fruit and floral notes and a bright finish. Drink now.

The attention-seeking nose grabs you with honeysuckle, candied pineapple, orange blossoms, apricots, and mango drizzled with honey and spice. The wine is perfectly balanced between its sweetness and vibrancy, leaving you with ample freshness to give lift and cut to all its honeyed, tropical fruits. Drink from 2023–2050.

Light golden yellow with silver reflections. Fresh orange zest in the background with floral nuances, hints of pineapple and peach, orange blossom in the background, intense bouquet. Juicy, elegant, powerful, yellow tropical fruits of mango and papaya, honeyed touch on the finish, silky minerality, persistent, harmonious style, with a certain ageing potential.

Intense and pure nose with plenty of layers, good depth despite its youth. Fresh apricot, pineapple, fine toast with vanilla, fresh butter and lemon confit. The palate has great density and weight with fine extract and good oak integration; fairly high sweetness but a classic Barsac freshness adds plenty of lift. Gorgeous young fruit with saffron, hazelnut and floral notes, textured and viscous with a very long, persistent finish. Something great in the making.

The 2020 Château Coutet is flat-out gorgeous, with a concentrated, powerful style in its caramelized orange, honeyed flowers, pineapple upside down cake, and toasty, spicy nuances. Rich, full-bodied, concentrated, and layered, it nevertheless stays focused, pure, and precise, with laser-like precision and vibrancy on the palate. This tour de force in Sauternes is going to pretty much just knock your socks off over the coming two decades.

95% Sémillon, 4% Sauvignon Blanc, 1% Muscadelle. Bright golden-yellow with orange highlights. Dense, beguiling bouquet of orange blossom, Cointreau liqueur and saffron. On the second nose, peach compote, yellow roses and preserved kumquats. On the oily palate with a creamy texture, plenty of volume that completely fills the mouth without seeming heavy; the balanced nerve perfectly supports the powerful body. Energetic finish with passion fruit, acacia honey and greengage jelly. Enchants this year with a magical balance.

Kunz barrel sample 2021: fresh, powerful, velvety bouquet, grapefruit, pineapple, caramel, vanilla, honey. Densely interwoven, creamy palate with opulent sweetness, fine acidity, dense structure, good minerality, long, ample, fresh finish.

Fresh, powerful, velvety bouquet with grapefruit, pineapple, caramel, vanilla, honey. Densely woven, creamy palate with opulent sweetness, fine acidity, dense structure, good minerality, long, generous, fresh finish. 18/20 2026 - 2050

Dark gold in colour, this is concentrated from start to finish, lusciously sweet in texture, with burnt toffee, mango and caramelised ginger, lifted by citrus, white flower and pink grapefruit notes. Harvest from September 16 through to October 26, with six successive passes through the rows.

The 2020 Coutet has 138 g/l of residual sugar and a pale lemon-straw color. It rolls out with tantalizing scents of lemon butter, salted almonds, and lime blossoms, leading to touches of fresh ginger and chalk dust. The palate is tightly knit, with energetic citrus layers and a minerally finish.

91-92

A fabulous nose, limpid, open and inviting, with notes of apricots and baked apples with brown sugar. An enveloping caress on the palate, with dense, rich flavors and a floral freshness.

Coutet’s crystalline, detailed character reminds us that we’re drawn to the terroir as much as to freshness and authenticity. Inviting notes of quince and lemongrass. The palate opens on a saline touch and shows fine density, carried by structural tension and a noble bitterness that underlines the finish. A rich Coutet, true to itself, with just the right dash of verve to keep the palate buzzing.

95–97. Barrel sample. An elegant wine, aristocratic in its poise and restraint, yet full of great richness. Botrytis is dominant for now, giving the dry core an extra push of density. The more exuberant side of this great wine will take time to emerge, but it will certainly be there.