2005 Château Coutet
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
The 2005 Coutet is very refined on the nose with delineated yellow plum, tangerine and honeysuckle scents. Chamomile and saffron aromas surface with aeration. The palate is beautifully balanced with viscous honeyed fruit, laced with orange peel and quince, perhaps with just a little abruptness on the finish when you wish it would hang around longer. Very fine, though, and I can see a long life ahead. Tasted from an ex-château bottle served at the estate.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Very broad and ample on the nose. Rich and burnished. Savoury and exciting. Not that sweet. Going its own way… Very long. (JR)
Tasted blind at the 10-Year On Tasting in Sauternes. The 2005 Château Coutet has a slightly muffled bouquet at the moment: honeysuckle, dried quince and a dab of kerosene in the background. The palate is fresh and vibrant on the entry with plenty of botrytized fruit, tensile and linear in the mouth with fine mineralité, though missing the sheer ambition and dimension of the Climens ’05. Nonetheless, one can appreciate the tensile nature of this Barsac that should give 20 to 30 years of pleasure.
About the producer
Classified as a First Growth in 1855, this Barsac property has a history stretching back to the 14th century. Today it has 38.5 hectares of vineyard, producing brilliant sweet wines cut by taut acidity. In certain years, it produces Cuvée Madame, pure botrytised Semillon from its oldest vines.