Château Coutet

Coutet lover’s food and wine pairing

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The Château: Traced back to 1643, Château Coutet (pronounced Cootay or Cou-tett) is one of the oldest vineyards in France's Sauternes wine region. Standing over the main courtyard, the château's stout square tower with a flat crenellated top is believed to originate from the late 13th Century with a design typical of the military constructions from the time of Aquitaine's English occupation. A second tower, located in the property's most northern plot, is another example of the era's architecture. This Château Coutet landmark was built to breed pigeons and peacocks for the region's Gascon lords. Further elements from other centuries define the property's architectural style, including a 14th Century citadel ("La Sallasse" or "La Salace") and chapel, as well as two 18th Century towers. Château Coutet is also home to the longest Sauternes chai (vat room) with a 110-meter long cellar that houses more than 860 barrels, arranged into four single, parallel lines.

Lord of Coutet:
Prior to its origin as a wine producing estate, Château Coutet history is rather obscure. The first noted owner of the property, Charles le Guérin, referred to as Lord of Coutet, was a counselor at the Bordeaux Parliament. He purchased the estate in 1643 and then passed it on to his nephew, Jean le Pichard, in 1695. The latter's descendants owned Château Coutet until 1788. It was at this time that the former U.S. president Thomas Jefferson noted Château Coutet as the best Sauternes originating from Barsac. Research indicates that at this point in history the property was producing 135,000 liters. With a production volume comparable to that of Chateau d'Yquem, Chateau Coutet's plots must have extended beyond today's 38.5 hectares (95 acres). It is also interesting to note that the wines' prices were similar to the appellation's superior first growth at the time.

Alongside Château d'Yquem:
Later on the estate was acquired by Gabriel-Barthélémy-Romain de Filhot, president of the Bordeaux parliament and a cousin of the former owner. As a consequence of the French Revolution, Château Coutet was seized by the state of France in 1794 and Filhot was beheaded. However, the estate was not confiscated by the French government. As a result, when Filhot's daughter Marie-Geneviève married into the Lur Saluces family, she brought Château Coutet as part of her dowry. Château Coutet was inherited later on by Marquis Romain Bertrand de Lur Saluces, son of Marie-Geneviève de Filhot and Antoine-Marie de Lur-Saluces. At the time, the Marquis de Lur Saluces was also the owner of Château d'Yquem, Château de Fargues, Château Filhot and Château de Malle and thus the largest producer of sweet white wines in the world. Château Coutet was his only property in the commune of Barsac, where he labeled the wine "VIN de BARSAC de Mr. le Marquis de LUR SALUCES."

The 1855 Classification:
In 1855, in preparation of the Exposition Universelle de Paris, the Emperor Napoleon the III requested that the Bordeaux wine merchants classify the greatest Bordeaux estates according to their reputation. This was accomplished by interpreting the Chateaux prices and quantities traded. This classification not only identified to all the quality of the wines, but also and more important, the exceptional terroirs within each appellation. Château Coutet received its Premier Grand Cru classification as one of only two Barsac properties represented in this particular highly distinguishable tier, joined by only seven other Sauternes. Overtime, several estates were divided. Thus, today's First Growths consist of nine properties.

The Guy Family:
Château Coutet remained under the care of the Lur-Saluces family until 1922. For three brief years, the estate was in the care of the Société Immobilière des Grands Crus de France, owners of several classified growths in the Margaux appellation. This transaction separated the estate from Château d'Yquem. In 1925, Henry-Louis Guy, a hydraulic wine press manufacturer from Lyon, purchased the estate. Guy equipped the winery with his vertical presses, still used today at harvest time.
He died shortly thereafter and passed the estate onto his widow and her second husband, a former priest called Edmond Rolland. Managed by Mr. Rolland, it was during this period that the famous "Cuvée Madame" was first made by Château Coutet to honor his wife, Madame Rolland-Guy. This special reserve is only produced under very rare and extraordinary conditions; its most recent release is the 2001 vintage.

The Baly Family:
In 1977, the estate was sold to Marcel Baly, an Alsacian who fell instantly in love with the estate during the course of a vacation stop. With a bit of encouragement, Marcel, a true entrepreneur, could not turn down the challenge of transforming himself into a winemaker, even after a lifetime spent in the logistics and hospitality industries. Although Château Coutet was intended to be a retirement project, Marcel realized that leading a first classified growth with over 300 years of history was too great a responsibility: "We might make mistakes, but we do not fail." Equipped with his vision, determination and an undisputable strength in operations management, as well as his eldest sons, Philippe and Dominique, Marcel committed everything to continuing the estate's tradition.
The Baly team's first year was focused on observing the vineyard and the various cellar activities. What followed was the placement of a long-term commitment to restoring and re-planting the 38.5 hectares (95 acres) of vines, optimizing all the work processes and operations, rebuilding the cellar and winery and, finally, the château itself. Throughout the eighties, the family stayed focus on these first steps creating a strong technical foundation for today and for future generations. Today, Philippe and Dominique Baly, continue their father's program, accompanied by the family's third generation, represented by Marcel's grand-daughter, Aline, Dominque's daughter.

Baron Philippe de Rothschild, SA:
In 1994, Philippe and Dominique Baly signed an agreement with the Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, giving exclusive distribution rights to her company, Baron Philippe de Rothschild S.A. (www.bphr.com). This commercial as well as technical collaboration has accelerated the renewal of Château Coutet's worldwide reputation. Per this agreement, dated March 22, 1994, Baron Philippe de Rothschild S.A. is the exclusive worldwide distributor for the totality of Château Coutet's wines:
Château Coutet, 1er Grand Cru Classé en 1855, AOC Barsac - The estate's first blend
La Chartreuse de Coutet, AOC Sauternes - The estate's second blend, first appearing in 1978
La Cuvée Madame de Château Coutet, AOC Barsac - The estate's reserve: only produced during exceptional years
Opalie de Château Coutet, AOC Bordeaux – The estate's new dry white, first vintage released 2010

Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux:
In 2005, Château Coutet joined the prestigious Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (www.ugcb.net). With 132 members, this group of Bordeaux's most notable estates travels throughout Europe, North America and Asia to develop traditional and new markets, promoting its members while representing the entire Bordeaux region. In numerous cities, the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux coordinates trade, press and consumer events, ranging from tastings to gala dinners. Through its participation, Château Coutet reaches out to its supporters and educates the current and next generations of wine professionals and enthusiasts.

The property encompasses 38.5 hectares (95 acres) of vines immediately surrounding the château on a flat plain 12 meters (40 feet) above sea level.

Château Coutet has a reddish-colored clay soil. A fine layer of gravel was deposited long ago by the Garonne River on certain vineyard plots, whereas others contain aeolian sand. Both cover a limestone sub-soil. Located between the Garonne and Ciron rivers, Château Coutet benefits from an optimal microclimate with the presence of autumn mists necessary for the spread of the Botrytis cinerea. Referred to as the “noble rot,” this fungus gradually intensifies the flavors in the grapes by forming a permeable film over the grapes that allows the evaporation of water and concentration of sugar while undertaking amulti-step interaction with the fruit. The result is a sweet nectar that is rich in distinct aromas, such as honeysuckle, quince and ginger.

Throughout the year, the viticulture team is keeping vigilance continuously on approximately 288,770 vines to assure the coming harvest. Although not much can be controlled in terms of climate, the quality of the work in the vineyard in an important component in determining the quality of the wine. Work begins at the conclusion of the previous harvest and requires a team of 20 full-timed trained individuals, who will carry out a number of different operations, most manually, throughout a period of nine months.

Harvesting is done entirely by hand, one berry at a time, because grapes do not ripen at the same pace. In addition, the Botrytis cinerea attacks the vineyard sporadically. Therefore, grapes are picked over the course of several passages (tries) of the property, usually six to eight times, throughout the course of the harvest. To cover the entire estate, each tries takes a team of about 80 individuals an average of five days to complete.

The concentration that is ideal and thought after by the pickers is a must that reaches the 22 to 24 degrees of potential alcohol. A yield of this concentration is about 9 hectoliters per hectare (0.9 tons per acre).  At this quality level of excellence, one vine gives approximately one glass of Château Coutet.

Upon arrival at the winery, the grapes go through a vertical wine press three times. This system was installed in the early 1920s by the previous owners who were press manufacturers. 

The must is separated from its initial heavy sediment over a 24-hour period at low temperatures and then placed into new oak barrels for the alcoholic fermentation. This fermentation process takes approximately three to four weeks, to reach the ideal balance between alcohol, acidity and residual sugar. Aging takes place over the course of 18 months in the property’s cellar at a cool, constant temperature.

Bottling occurs after a final blend to ensure that Château Coutet’s production is homogeneous. Part of Château Coutet’s production is kept aside every year to make a second blend, “La Chartreuse de Coutet,” which is marketed under the Sauternes appellation.

Sauternes versus Barsac

The Sauternes appellation, located south of the city of Bordeaux, is part of the prestigious Bordeaux wine region. It is composed of two appellations whose terroir differ geologically: Sauternes and Barsac.

The appellation "Sauternes" per se, covers 4 communes, Preignac, Fargues, Sauternes and Bommes, lying between the Garonne and the Ciron rivers. The soil that characterizes this part of the appellation is mainly composed of sandy-clay and oyster limestone substrates from the Tertiary Period. At the time of the Melt Down, due to global warming, strong currents were created and the river, therefore swollen, transported and deposited alluvium and gravels by successive waves. Nowadays, the presence many gravels on the Sauternes terroir is the result of this phenomenon. This feature provides a significant element in the characteristics of wines produced in this region. Indeed, the gravels catch the sunlight, and therefore heat, during the day and return that heat to the vines during the night. Sauternes soils are, by consequence, warm soils. This specificity gives the wines a more intense liquor, offering a more pronounced sweetness on the palate, and sometimes a deeper opulence.

The appellation “Barsac”, located on the left bank of the Ciron, is also part of the Sauternes appellation. This means that all Barsacs are Sauternes, but all Sauternes are entitled to the appellation Barsac. An original soil characteristic justifies the existence of this appellation and the fact that it is being differentiated from other Sauternes.

Soils are differently composed on this side of the Ciron. They are characterized by clayey sands in rather thin layers, deposited on a limestone slab. Gravels that were deposited the same way as in the Sauternes appellation were swept by erosion and only a few boulders remain among the vines. These features give the appellation of Barsac, a cold sol in comparison with that of Sauternes, for clay and sand trap coolness and this freshness is then communicated to the plant. The wines of Barsac, therefore, occur most often cool and the sugar sensation on the palate is less intense than in the wines of Sauternes. In addition, limestone, very present on this appellation, brings a touch of minerality to the wine, which is rarely found in Sauternes.

Microclimate

The Sauternes appellation, under the influence of an oceanic climate, beneficiates from very specific local climate characteristics, and the term microclimate is actually mentioned. This microclimate occurs mainly in autumn, inside and around the famous triangle formed by the Garonne, the Ciron and the Landes forest.

At the end of summer, the combination of the rivers’ cold water and winds creates a thick fog in the morning, covering the vineyards and being retained by the Landes forest, farther south. Thanks to the humidity it brings, this fog promotes the development of the famous fungus, Botrytis cinerea, in the vines and on ripe berries. At midday, the fog evaporates by the action of sunlight and wind, and thus allows for the berries to dry and for their sugar to concentrate. This so-called “Noble Rot” is the result of this peculiar phenomenon occurring in the Sauternes appellation. 

Botrytis cinerea: the Noble Rot

Microscopic fungus, the Botrytis cinerea thrives in humid environments. It attacks the ripe grape berries and by sporulation, make their skin porous. Then follows the evaporation of the berries’ water and consequently the concentration of sugar. This is known as noble rot. Berries become purplish, and shrivel. At the same time, the fungus does a fabulous job of aromatic development. Indeed, a botrytised berry may contain up to 100 times more aroma precursors (which will lead to the development of future aromas) than on a healthy berry. Noble rot, which guarantees the quality of the harvest, also substantially reduces its volume.

Generally slow and inhomogeneous, the fungus’s spread in the vineyard rarely occurs all at once. Several successive passages in different plots are needed to select only the berries or parts of clusters that have reached a sufficient concentration level for the elaboration of sweet wine. 

Grape Varietals

Three varieties may be grown for the production of a wine of Sauternes: Sémillon, Sauvignon blanc and Muscadelle. All are sensitive to rot and therefore have the quality required for the elaboration of the precious nectar. 

Sémillon is the king varietal in the appellation, is virtually nonexistent elsewhere. It is the varietal that makes up the wine's structure by providing full and silky characters, but also aromatic finesse to the wine. It harmonizes the wine federating the various varietals at the final blend.

Sauvignon blanc brings freshness to the wine, as well as aromas of citruses and boxwood.

Muscadelle, usually included in small amounts in the Sauternes blend, brings some complexity to the wine, as well as a spicy touch.