Winemaker Notes
This is an extremely delicate vintage. The first tastings reveal a particularly fresh wine, marked by floral notes of lily of the valley and grapefruit flowers. The liveliness on the palate is typical of Barsac terroir.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
A beautifully perfumed wine, this is richly textured and full of spice. Its acidity and light poise come through strongly with acidity to give a wine both rich and light.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Coutet has a pale lemon-gold color, waltzing out of the glass with energetic notes of lemon tart, pink grapefruit, green mango and lime blossoms, with hints of chopped almonds, clover honey, candle wax and straw, plus a waft of sea spray. The palate is all class, featuring ethereal intensity and amazing poise, enveloped in a satiny texture and seamless acidity, finishing long and mineral laced. Currently, while it is just a tick or so down on the impressive 2019, I love the restraint and energy of this 2020 and wouldn't be surprised if it eventually spreads its wings and surpasses its showier sibling over time.
Barrel Sample: (94 - 96)+
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Decanter
A signature Coutet nose with burnt orange, caramelised peaches and floral flecks. Thick and intense, really lovely weight on the palate, deep yet juicy with high acidity that gives a tang to the palate. Lovely layers of sweetness, acidity and richness - concentrated and intense. Classy and stylish as always. Not as dazzling at this point as the 2019 was but this is still a lovely wine with plenty of enjoyment on offer.
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James Suckling
Pineapple, mangoes, honeysuckle and yellow flowers here, with acacia honey too. Sweet yet fresh, with pretty tropical fruit and floral notes and a bright finish.
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Wine Spectator
A flattering, plump sweetie, with baked apple, pineapple chutney, graham cracker, ginger, toasted almond and pie crust notes. Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle. Drink now through 2035.
Apart from the classics, we find many regional gems of different styles.
Late harvest wines are probably the easiest to understand. Grapes are picked so late that the sugars build up and residual sugar remains after the fermentation process. Ice wine, a style founded in Germany and there referred to as eiswein, is an extreme late harvest wine, produced from grapes frozen on the vine, and pressed while still frozen, resulting in a higher concentration of sugar. It is becoming a specialty of Canada as well, where it takes on the English name of ice wine.
Vin Santo, literally “holy wine,” is a Tuscan sweet wine made from drying the local white grapes Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia in the winery and not pressing until somewhere between November and March.
Rutherglen is an historic wine region in northeast Victoria, Australia, famous for its fortified Topaque and Muscat with complex tawny characteristics.
Characterized by dried tropical fruit, candied apricot, citrus and honey, the sweet wines of Barsac are always balanced by a bright beam of acidity. While technically also part of the Sauternes region, Barsac’s sandy and limestone soils produce a lighter version in comparison. Its main grapes are the same: Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris and Muscadelle.