La Dame de Couhins - Second Vin du Château Couhins 2012
14/20
Bettane & Desseauve
“A brilliant golden-green color; a delicately fruity, mineral, and quite refined nose; full-bodied and very aromatic on the palate, with a strong predominance of citrus aromas; a lively finish; a very refreshing white wine.” (The Bettane & Desseauve Guide to French Wines)
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Nose
fruity with intense citrus aromas
Palate
fresh and taut
Serve
at 10°C
Drink starting at
2017
Drink before
2019
Food and Wine Pairings
Pairs well with a seafood platter, a grilled fillet of John Dory...
Bettane & Desseauve
Wine rated 14/20 (Good wine)
Rated estate (2016 guide): 2*Stars (A solid, recommendable wine, though slightly more consistent and uniform than the previous vintage)
About the wine:
A brilliant golden-green color; a delicately fruity, mineral, and quite refined nose; full-bodied and very aromatic on the palate, with a strong predominance of citrus aromas; a lively finish; a very refreshing white wine.
About the estate:
This vineyard—not to be confused with Couhins-Lurton—belongs to INRA, which for a long time, despite its classification, did little to promote it. That is no longer the case, and a highly competent technical team is gradually bringing it up to the level of its peers. Only the white wine is classified, and it is proportionally more refined than the red, though the latter is improving as the vines age.
Guide Hachette des vins
Rated estate (2016 guide) Award-winning wines (This producer’s wines regularly receive awards from the guide)
About the estate:
Classified as a white wine, this 25-hectare vineyard located on the outskirts of Bordeaux belonged to the Gasqueton family—longtime owners of Calon Ségur (Saint-Estèphe)—before being acquired in 1968 by INRA, which made it its showcase for viticultural and oenological research.
Robert Parker - Wine Advocate
Estate rated "Recommended" (Wine producer recommended by Robert Parker—The Wine Advocate)
RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France
Rated Estate (2016 Guide) Selected (Please note that this guide is a ranking, and as such, all the estates listed here—even those without a star—represent, in our view, the pinnacle of French winemaking.)
About the estate:
Since 1968, INRA has owned this Graves cru classé. Under the leadership of Dominique Forget, Couhins (not to be confused with its neighbor, Couhins-Lurton) now serves as both a viticultural research site and a production facility. Indeed, this beautiful terroir is home to cutting-edge research on plant material (clonal selections, rootstocks, etc.). Its vineyard is thus a source of many innovations, which have enabled numerous winegrowers to overcome the challenges of vine cultivation. At the same time, the estate employs a precise, plot-by-plot approach to viticulture. The white wines (often 100% Sauvignon Blanc) are well-crafted, fairly approachable, and best enjoyed young. The reds often lack depth and body, with finishes that are consistently too watery. However, the most recent vintages have shown greater density and better concentration. INRA regularly provides funding to improve production facilities. The estate expanded during the year with an additional hectare of Sauvignon Blanc and plans to plant another two hectares to quickly reach a total area of 30 hectares (7 hectares of white and 23 hectares of red).