Château Coutet Sauternes-Barsac 2020 - 1er Cru Classé
97/100
RVF
97/100
Jeb Dunnuck
97/100
Vert de Vin
96/100
Wine Enthusiast
96/100
Tastingbook - Markus Del Monego
95-96/100
Terre de Vins
“It’s a unanimous hit: beautifully fragrant, monumental—a tour de force that will blow you away...”
“Château Coutet 2020 is absolutely magnificent, with a concentrated and powerful style featuring notes of caramelized orange, honeyed flowers, pineapple upside-down cake, toast, and spices. Rich, full-bodied, and layered, it remains concentrated and pure, with laser-like precision and liveliness on the palate. This tour de force from the Sauternes region will blow you away for the next two decades.” (Jeb Dunnuck 2024) - Delivery in a wooden case is available for orders of 6 bottles of this wine (depending on country and selected shipping method)
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Eye
Shiny gold color
Nose
Inviting and particularly fresh, with floral notes of lily of the valley and grapefruit blossoms
Palate
Still maintaining its refined character, this wine strikes a balance between smoothness and liveliness; it is rich, pure, and features tropical fruit notes. It has a lovely finish.
Serve
At 8-10°C
Open
30 minutes before
Drink from
2024
Drink before
2045
Food and wine pairings
Serve with a foie gras puff pastry, langoustine ravioli, or honey-roasted figs...
Bettane & Desseauve
Rated estate (2019 guide): 4 stars (Producers of the very highest quality, the pride of French viticulture)
About the estate:
Coutet (pronounced “Coutette,” in the Gascon style) is destined to be the eternal rival of Climens in Barsac—which is by no means a miserable fate. Its soils are slightly different, and while the citrus notes derived from the limestone bedrock are present, Coutet produces wines that are a bit more lively and mineral-driven than Climens. In recent vintages, the wine has shown greater richness and sweetness, driven by the need to keep pace with its peers. 2014 will not match the château’s greatest vintages, but 2015 should dazzle.
RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France
Wine rated (2021 guide) 97/100
Rated estate (2019 guide) 3*Stars (These represent the pinnacle of French winemaking. The finest terroirs cultivated by the greatest winemakers. Tasting their wine is always a magical experience)
About the wine:
It offers a lovely bouquet blending pastry, apricot, and mandarin notes. Despite a slightly lower sugar content—a few grams less than in previous years—it retains a lovely sweetness on the palate. But it quickly asserts itself through the invigorating, mineral-rich character of the Barsac terroir, with a lively intensity and lovely bitter notes of citrus zest on the finish.
About the estate:
This Premier Grand Cru Classé is one of the two leading estates in Barsac, alongside Climens. On most of its plots, the famous red soil—a mixture of iron oxide and limestone—gives the wine an extra edge of liveliness compared to its immediate neighbors with equivalent sugar content. Aromas of citrus and acacia bring it closer to Climens, but Coutet generally expresses itself more quickly and often has slightly less sweetness, with the exception of the famous cream of the crop known as the Madame cuvée. Philippe Baly of Alsace and his brother Dominique, along with his daughter Aline, have managed the estate with great care since their father purchased it in 1977. We have been following this consistently excellent estate for many years.
Wine Enthusiast
Wine rated (2024 guide) 96/100
About the wine:
This beautifully aromatic wine is richly textured and full of spice. Its acidity and lightness come through strongly, resulting in a wine that is both rich and light. Best enjoyed starting in 2028.
Jeb Dunnuck
Wine rated (2024 guide) 97/100
About the wine:
Château Coutet 2020 is absolutely magnificent, with a concentrated and powerful style featuring notes of caramelized orange, honeyed flowers, pineapple upside-down cake, toasted aromas, and spices. Rich, full-bodied, and layered, it remains concentrated and pure, with a precision and liveliness on the palate that are laser-sharp. This tour de force from the Sauternes region will blow you away for the next two decades. 2024–2044
Terre de Vins
Wine rated (2021 guide) 95-96/100
About the wine:
What a remarkable wine again this year! A journey of discovery where every aspect is a revelation. A nuanced and elegant nose, honeyed, with notes of old-fashioned roses, verbena, and mirabelle plums. The palate opens with fragrant verbena, noble texture, and a silky smoothness. A caressing body. Slender yet powerfully refined. Monumental in 2020.
Vert de Vin
Wine rated (2021 guide) 97/100 (Jonathan Choukroun Chicheportiche)
About the wine:
The nose is elegant, refined, and precise, beautifully shaped by its terroir, and offers a certain integrity, depth (with finesse), and complexity. It features notes of lime, candied lemon, and a hint of minerality, combined with a lovely, refined, crisp edge, hints of zest and crisp pineapple, as well as subtle hints of white flowers, linden, and a touch of nuts. The palate is fruity and balanced, offering freshness, juiciness, a tangy structure, tension, precision, and good definition, with a chiseled, sharp edge (expressing its terroir with dignity and finesse). On the palate, this wine expresses notes of lemon, candied lemon, and zest, along with lighter hints of yuzu, combined with touches of candied mandarin, crisp pineapple, lemon blossom, as well as hints of linden, white flowers, candied white berries, and subtle hints of spice. Good length.
Tastingbook - Markus Del Monego
Wine rated (2021 guide) 96/100
About the wine:
Bright golden color. An expressive nose with aromas reminiscent of candied orange peel, fresh passion fruit, ripe peaches, dried apricots, and notes of honey and almonds. Vanilla and hints of gingerbread in the background. On the palate, the opulent sweetness is balanced by elegant acidity and a delicate minerality. The fruit unfolds in layers, featuring passion fruit, mango, and peach jam, with notes of spicy ginger and peppery spices in the background. An excellent Coutet with depth and length.