Chateau Coutet 2006
- Vintage
- 2006
- Country
- France
- Region
- Bordeaux,Barsac
- Size
- 750ml
- Rating
- WE95, WS94, WA93
- Grape
- Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc
It is the poise, the elegance of Coutet that shows so well in this delicious wine. It is ripe, with layers of apricot and peach, lifted with spice and an over-arching sweet acidity that gives the wine a wonderful, heart-stopping lift. - WE95
Almost as excellent as the 2003. There's intense botrytis spice on the nose, with lemon peel and dried pineapple. Full-bodied, superspicy and intense. Extremely racy. A beautiful wine. Best after 2014. - WS94
Tasted at the Sauternes 2006 ten-year on horizontal in Bordeaux. The 2006 Coutet has plenty of quince and marmalade scents on the nose, a subtle nuttiness underneath, perhaps a touch of passion fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with harmonious citrus-fresh peach and quince notes. This is very harmonious and focused, driven by a killer line of acidity, and the finish exudes tension and precision. This is a great Barsac from the Coutet team and it will deliver pleasure for many years yet. Tasted April 2016. - WA93
Château Coutet is a Premier Cru Sauternes producer located in the Barsac region of Bordeaux. It is one of the oldest producers in Sauternes, and has the longest cellar in the region, at 110 meters. Coutet is the Gascon word for "knife", signifying the dessert wine's crisp and ripping acidity.
The château is an English fortress that was built in the 13th Century. In 1643, it was acquired by Charles le Guerin, a counselor in the Bordeaux parliament, who then passed it on to his nephew Jean le Pichard in 1695.
In 1787, Thomas Jefferson claimed Château Coutet as the best Sauternes from Barsac. Coutet was then acquired by Gabriel-Barthelemy-Romain de Filhot.
During the French Revolution the château was seized by the state, and Filhot was beheaded. Coutet went through numerous owners over the years before it was finally purchased by the Baly family in 1977.
Château Coutet is primarily made up of Semillon, with smaller amounts of Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle. The grapes are grown on clay and limestone soils, giving a distinct minerality to the sweet, botrytized wine.
The wine is then aged 18 months in French oak barrels that are 70-100 percent new. Château Coutet also makes a second-tier label called La Chartreuse de Coutet, and in the best years, the estate also produces 1200 bottles of a premium wine, Cuvée Madame de Château Coutet.
The estate also produces a dry white wine. Previously simply called the Vin Sec de Château Coutet, it is now released as Opalie de Château Coutet - Information from Wine Searcher