Winemaker Notes
The nose reveals aromas of vine blossom and flint with roasted botrytis notes, underlined by a touch of dried fig. Full and complex, the wine is generous on the palate, showing an elegant bitterness and attractive freshness that perfectly balance the sweetness and a finish that lingers delicately on white blossom notes.
Blend: 95% Semillon, 4% Sauvignon Blanc, 1% Muscadelle
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Exceptional nose of white pepper, dried peaches and dried mushrooms with sweet, exuberant undertones. The palate is medium- to full-bodied and lusciously sweet, lifted by bright acidity that carries the wine to a balanced finish. Not cloying at all. 95% semillon, 4% sauvignon blanc and 1% muscadelle. Already great, but will improve substantially with time. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
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Wine Spectator
This delivers a frank, inviting and beautifully pure burst of pineapple in both gelée and sorbet form, holding center stage while orange blossom, elderflower, jasmine and green almond notes swirl around. Packed and dense but fresh and crackling with energy as everything spills through the lengthy finish with focus and clarity. A beauty. Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle.
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Vinous
The 2023 Coutet has a tightly-wound bouquet that demands more coaxing than its peers. It typically already possesses laser-sharp focus and is less flamboyant than fellow Barsacs, underpinned and sharpened by its limestone soils. The palate is well balanced with intense botrytised fruit, lightly spiced dried honey and orange rind notes, just a hint of apricot in the background, stretching out on the finish that lingers on the tongue. I am not sure it is the best Coutet in recent years, but it is certainly a very fine contribution to the vintage that should age well in bottle. –Neal Martin
Barrel Sample: 94-96 -
Jeb Dunnuck
A blend of 95% Sémillon, 4% Sauvignon Blanc, and 1% Muscadelle that was raised 18 months in 20% new French oak, the 2023 Château Coutet is always a terrific sweet wine from this estate. Its medium gold hue is followed by honeyed orange, caramelized pineapple, mint, and spicy nuances on the nose. Beautifully balanced on the palate, it has medium to full-bodied richness, integrated acidity, and a great finish.
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.