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Wine Description
The Story
The Château Coutet vines' deep roots extract elements from its terroir to give the grapes freshness, richness and strength. For this reason the estate carries the name "Coutet,” derived from the Gascon's word for knife, to signify the fresh, lively and crisp palate that is the wine's signature style. In its youth, the wines display generous notes of white flowers, citrus fruits, honey and vanilla. Ginger and pineapple are very typical aromas in a young Château Coutet. Time brings out deeper, warmer notes in which spices combine with exotic nectars and candied fruits, such as gingerbread mingled with marmalade. Age also enhances the harmony of its roasted Botrytis character and its distinct aromas to give Château Coutet a delicate and unique bouquet that is unsurpassed.
Area under vines: 38.5 hectares (95 acres)
Planted grape varieties: 75% Sémillon, 23% Sauvignon Blanc, 2% Muscadelle
Soil: Clay with a limestone sub-soil
Average age of the vines: 38 years
Planting density: 7,500 plants per hectare (3,000 plants per acre)
Vineyard management: "Taille à Cot" (traditional Sauternes pruning) and rational cultivation
Harvest: By hands (successive passes, called tries)
Average yield: 9 hl/ha (0.9 ton per acre)
Ageing: 18 months in French oak barrels, 70 to 100% new
Wine Information
Weather conditions:
Following a mild winter, the vines started to bud on March 23rd, a few days earlier than the previous year. Mid-flowering was noted on June 8th and mid-véraison on August 17th. Good weather conditions in October enabled the Botrytis cinerea to develop evenly and of excellent quality so that the crop could be harvested in four passages without any significant interruption.
| Harvest dates: | October 8 to November 5 |
| Tries: | 4 manual successive passes |
| Number of days of harvest: | 22 |
| Grape varieties: | 90% Sémillon, 9% Sauvignon Blanc, 1% Muscadelle |
| Fermentation: | 100% barrel fermented, 100% new French oak |
| Ageing: | 18 month in new French oak barrels |
| Estate bottled: | May 2003 |
Tasting notes:
The wine is of a beautiful coppery gold color with amber glints. The nose is very expressive and opens on a bouquet of aromatic notes where one can find dry apricots, vanilla, and mango. Once aerated, the wine brings forth fresher notes of citrus fruits and preserved lemon. The wine on the palate is generous yet very fresh for the vintage, with a well-developed back bone, marked with cherry plum liqueur and preserved nectarine. The middle palate evolves toward more complex notes of white pepper and saffron with a touch of cinnamon, while keeping a pleasant, fruity freshness. This vintage is rich and full, both aromatic and well balanced... it shines through with thanks to its strong character and freshness.
One of the great Coutets I have ever tasted, with amazing definition, extraordinary vibrancy and force, and sweet, thick, juicy flavors of tropical fruits, peach, honeysuckle, and buttered popcorn, this glorious Barsac looks to be set for an incredibly long life. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2025. Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, April 2003, 91-94/ 100
A brilliant combination of power and finesse characterizes this light green/gold-colored Barsac. It possesses moderate sweetness, terrific aromatics, and a full-bodied, rich, beautifully delineated, ethereal palate revealing delicacy as well as acidity. Although young, it is already strutting its stuff. Consume it over the next 15-25 years. Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, June 2004, 93/100