Château Coutet 2022

Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States, arguably America's first French wine connoisseur, acknowledged Château Coutet as "the best Sauternes in Barsac."

Château Coutet prides itself on crafting some of the most luscious, elegant, and stunning Sauternes. This Barsac estate has a long history of excellence and critical acclaim that dates well before it was ranked as a Premiere Cru Classé property during the 1855 Classification of Sauternes and Barsac. The wine of this estate is undoubtably thrilling, and production here has been a family affair since 1977. For those who understand and appreciate the beautiful, honeyed nectar of a classic Sauternes, Château Coutet is a undoubtably a worthy producer. 
 
Château Coutet has a long history of being an excellent producer of Sauternes. The property’s origins date back to the 13th Century when the estate was a fortress.  One can tell by simply taking one look at the striking, formidable architecture at the estate there is a longstanding history here.  The estate began producing wine in 1643, when Charles le Guérin, known as the Lord of Coutet, made it one of the first vineyards in the Sauternes Appellation.  The property was a favorite among the American President and oenophile Thomas Jefferson when he visited France. He proudly declared Château Coutet as the best Sauternes in Barsac.  Château Coutet remained in the hands of Charles le Guérin’s  descendants until 1788. The property was acquired by Gabriel-Barthelemy-Romain de Filhot, the president of the Bordeaux parliament and a cousin of the former owner of the estate. During the French Revolution, the French Government seized the property, and unfortunately de Filhot was a casualty of the terror. The property changed hands many times until it was acquired by Marcel Baly and his two sons, Philippe and Dominique, in 1977. The Baly family enlisted the winemaking team over at Château Mouton Rothschild to assist with winemaking operations and the wine has never been better. 
 
For those who understand Sauternes, they are very aware that the regions of Sauternes and Barsac are very special for a variety of reasons. The terroir is unique here, and due to a special variety of factors, the plantings of Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle are infected with the wonderful noble rot, or botrytis.  Once botrytis infects these grapes, it removes the water from them and raisinates them. These raisinated grapes are then fermented when they have richly concentrated sugar levels. This results in a naturally sweet wine. And the case at Château Coutet is no different. Château Coutet is situated in a very special part of Barsac, which is a playground for botrytis. Their vines thrive in a mixture of clay and limestone soils, which lend a freshness to this rich honeyed beverage. 

Though the wine of Château Coutet is a sweet wine, it is highly versatile and can dazzle when paired with the appropriate food. Though Sauternes is beautiful with desserts such as fruit tarts, it is worth thinking outside the box when pairing this delicious wine with food. Try pairing your bottle of Château Coutet with roast chicken, cheeses of all kinds, or any fois gras terrine with caramelized onions. 

"The 2022 Château Coutet is more deep gold-hued and has a ripe, powerful style in its brioche, toasted bread, honeyed orange, and marmalade-like aromas and flavors. It's a rich, unctuous, full-bodied effort that has serious density and depth." - Jeb Dunnuck, (02/27/2025), Ratings: 95, Drink: 2025-2045

"The 2022 Coutet delivers nuances of pineapple, tangerine oil, orange confit and spice. Exotic and unctuous, it's also light on its feet for such an obviously rich wine. There's great balance here." - Antonio Galloni, Vinous, (01/28/2025), Ratings: 95

"One of the wines of the vintage, the 2022 Coutet opens with notes of apricots, spices and exotic fruits, setting the stage for a medium to full-bodied, round and supple palate enhanced by brightness and tension that culminates in a spicy, minty finish. Its balanced structure and lively acidity contribute to an ethereal ending, making it a very elegant yet chiseled Barsac. This blend of 94% Sémillon, 5% Sauvignon Blanc and 1% Muscadelle is matured for 18 months in barrels." - Yohan Castaing, The Wine Advocate, (01/16/2025), Ratings: 94+

"Low yields but well expressed juiciness here, along with luscious texture of apricot, citrus, pineapple, sage, mint leaf, liqourice, really impressive complexity and depth of flavour, kick of slate minerality on finish. An upscore from En Primeur - more proof that Barsac is the place to look in this vintage. Harvest September 26 to October 28" - Jane Anson, (02/06/2025), Ratings: 94

"Bight and fun, a lovely easy, clean and sleek texture, quite straight with focus and a sense of cool freshness on the palate with some soft bitter edges that are so appealing. Has a great frame, slowly expands, not so overtly sweet or zingy, but this is refined and well delivered, still with concentration in the depth and overall long length. 158g/l residual sugar. 3.88pH." - Georgina Hindle, Decanter, (05/25/2023), Ratings: 93