2007 Château
Coutet

Château
Coutet&nbsp;is one of my favorite
Sauternes of all. When the estate decides the vintage is good enough to warrant
making their ultra-luscious, super-concentrated Cuvée Madame (named after a
previous housekeeper), it is my favorite Barsac of all, duking it out with
d’Yquem for numero 1 in Bordeaux
sweet winedom. Coutet (the name of which derives from the Gascon word meaning
knife) has been owned by the Baly family since 1977, but sweet wine was being
made on the premises as far back in 1643. Château
Coutet is located in the southern
part of the appellation and at 35 hectares large (planted to&nbsp;75%&nbsp;Sémillon,&nbsp;23% Sauvignon Blanc&nbsp;and 2% Muscadelle on mainly clay-limestone with
some gravel), it is one of Barsac’s largest properties.&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1469450010088-COUTET+2007+copy.jpg">The 2007 reflects the
high quality of the vintage, with overt, honeyed tropical fruit, lemon curd,
and spicy botrytis aromas and flavors in spades. If I have one quibble, is that
the 2007 seems to be just a little less complex and long than I might have
expected given the stellar year, but perhaps I just caught it in a shut-down
phase. Certainly, there’s no arguing with this wine’s purity and refinement.
The 2007 is likely to develop greater grace and nuance still with age. 92+/Drinking window: 2017-2035. 

-- Ian
D’Agata

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