Tasting Notes
Vinous 93
The 2014 Coutet is a gorgeous Barsac. Orange peel, cinnamon, dried flowers and lightly honeyed notes abound. The wine is rich and deeply textured, but not at all heavy. This is a terrific showing from a Barsac that is both highly nuanced and also understated.
Anticipated maturity: 2017-2023
Robert Parker 94
The Chateau Coutet 2014 is a blend of 75% Semillon, 23% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Muscadelle and delivers…cue the drumroll…a whopping 162 grams per liter of residual sugar, the highest level of any Sauternes that I have data for. As you would expect, the total acidity is slightly, but not dramatically lower than its peers at 3.9 grams per liter (compared to say, 4.3 grams per liter at Doisy-Daëne.) This Coutet ’14 has a complex bouquet with razor-sharp, minerally, citrus fruit mixed with wild honey and a touch of Riesling-like petrol. The palate is totally convincing. There is a great thrust of rich botrytized fruit sliced through with Coutet’s trademark acidity, despite the spoonfuls of sugar, that lends this such vibrancy and tension. It possesses and almost clinical precision with long persistence on the finish. This is a divine Coutet that may warrant a higher score subject to how it evolves in barrel.
Anticipated maturity: 2019-2040