Chateau Coutet

The history of Chateau Coutet dates back to the 13^th century, long before any of the famous estates in Medoc. Some parts of the chateau date from that period, with the most notable the dovecot which towers above the vines among the northern plots of the vineyard.

Little is known about the ownership during the first few centuries of its existence, with the earliest records going back to 1643, showing the purchase by Charles de Guerin. He later passed it to Jean de Pichard in 1695, and in 1788 onto Gabriel Barthelemy Romain de Filhot, who also owned Doisy-Daene and Filhot.

Unfortunately he and his wife met their death on the guillotine, with the estate divided and auctioned off, but soon came back to their hands. Their daughter, Marie-Genevieve de Filhot, married Antoine-Marie de Lur-Saluces of Chateau d’Yquem, and in 1810 she took over Chateau Coutet again.

At that time they owned not just Coutet, but also d’Yquem, Fargues, de Malle and Piada. The Lur-Saluces family maintained control for over a century, but by 1922 production dropped significantly and demand for Sauternes also declined, so they decided to sell the estate.

The Societe Immobiliere des Grands Crus de France, who acquired a number of significant Bordeaux properties, took over but the tenure was short. It was sold again a few years later, to an industrialist called Henri-Louis Guy, who restored and renovated the estate, including the installation of a hydraulic press.

When he died the estate was bequeathed to one of his two daughters, Madame Thomas. She and her husband Edmond Rolland resided at the estate and ran with some skills, up until the death of Madame Thomas in 1977, when the Baly family took over.

Marcel Baly, from Alsace, acquired the estate, who then passed to his sons Dominique and Philippe, with extensive replanting and renovation at the cellars. In 1994 the Baly family signed a distribution deal with Baron Philippe de Rothschild, so apart from having both Mouton and Coutet showing up in the same places, the technical advice of Patrick Leon was obtained.

Recently Philippe Dhalluin took up that role, contributing to the continual improvement in the quality of the wines. In recently years Philippe is joined by his niece Aline, who was educated in US and increasingly becoming the modern face of the estate, traveling and showcasing the wines.

The vineyards are the largest in Barsac, amounting to 42 hectares, at 12 metres above sea level, which is a high altitude for this region, although not matching that of Climens, the highest point of the appellation. The vines are 75% Semillon and 23% Sauvignon Blanc, with 2% Muscadelle, averaging 35 years old at a density of 7500 vines per hectare.

The soils are a mix of gravel and classic red clay over a limestone bedrock rich in starfish fossils. Yield is typically 9 hl/ha, a remarkably low figure, with about six tries during harvest. Only about 50% of the harvest goes to the grand vin, with the remaining to the second wine, along with the younger vines of less than 7 years old.

After arrival in the chai the fruit is pressed using hydraulic presses, then transferred into 100% new barrels for fermentation en barrique. The blending is typically higher in Semillon than the planting ratio, with about 84% in the assemblage, sometimes even going up to 90%. The elevage will last for up to 18 months before bottling.

The grand vin is Chateau Coutet with up to 3500 cases per annum, followed by the second wine Chartreuse de Coutet of 400 cases. There is a super cuvee called Cuvee Madame, only released in exceptional vintage, created by Edmond Rolland in honour of his wife, with precise berry-by-berry selection using only Semillon from two particular plots. The fruit is lightly pressed and fermented, followed by three years in oak, with production of 100 cases only.

There is a dry white produced called Vin Sec de Chateau Coutet, using fruit from the nearby Pujols but starting from 2010 a dry wine from the Sauternes vineyards called Opalie de Chateau Coutet has been added.

I have recently tasted the 2006 vintage and below is my tasting note:

Appearance

Bright and clear, it has medium gold color, with legs.

Nose

Clean, with pronounced intensity aromas, showing citrus fruit of lemon peel and orange, dried fruit of sultana, stone fruit of apricot, some tropical fruit of pineapple, maturity notes of honey, oak notes of toast, pungent spice of juniper. The wine is developing.

Palate

Sweet with high acidity, medium (+) in alcohol with full body, it has medium (+) intensity flavors of citrus fruit of orange marmalade and lemon, stone fruit of apricot, dried fruit of sultana, oak notes of vanilla, tropical fruit of pineapple, pungent spice of juniper. The wine has a medium (+) finish.

Conclusion

Very good Barsac dessert wine with a very intense nose, with typical botrytis characters accompanying the complex aromas. It has a good acidity to balance the sweetness, making it refreshing and not cloying, and despite the higher alcohol level it did not feel warming. With an equally impressive palate and a long finish, the wine is ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 6-8 years.