Château Coutet
Château Coutet

Château Coutet

Château Coutet is a Bordeaux wine estate located in the Barsac region. The Château comprises over 38 hectares of vineyards, primarily planted with Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle grape varieties. Coutet is a Premier Cru Classé of Sauternes according to the official 1855 Sauternes classification.

As at Château d'Yquem, the old vertical presses are still in use, and the must, after settling, is fermented in new oak barrels. Château Coutet produces a nectar of exceptional longevity. Under the direction of Marcel Baly since 1977, the wine has gained in richness of liqueur, while maintaining its freshness and grace. 

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The history of Château Coutet

  

Originally, in the 13th century, Château Coutet was a fortress whose traces of medieval construction still remain today.

 

The viticultural history of Château Coutet begins 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 passed down to his descendants until 1788. Then, Gabriel-Barthélemy Romain de Filhot became owner of Coutet on the eve of the French Revolution. After this tumultuous period, the estate returned to his grandson, Marquis Romain-Bertrand de Lur-Saluces, who then became the world's largest producer of sweet white wines. At the time, he also owned Châteaux d'Yquem, de Fargues, Filhot and de Malle. Château Coutet remained his property until 1926.

 

In 1926, Henry-Louis Guy, an industrialist from Lyon, became the new owner of Château Coutet. He installed the famous and unmatched Guy & Mital hydraulic presses, which are one of the secrets behind extracting the estate's finest juices. His daughter, who remarried to Edmond Rolland, managed the property until 1977, and it is in her honour that an exceptional cuvée is produced and named 'Cuvée Madame'.

 

In 1977, Marcel Baly and his two sons, Philippe and Dominique, became owners of Château Coutet. Of Alsatian origin, the family divides its time between France and the United States. This period marks the beginning of a renewal of the vineyard and operating buildings. In 1994, wishing to bring greater expertise to Château Coutet, they signed an exclusive partnership agreement with Baron Philippe de Rothschild Company, both technically and commercially. 

 

Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States of America, spent a long time in France. He was Ambassador there from 1785 to 1789. A fine gastronome, he also worked as a wine broker and notably wrote travel journals in the great French wine regions. Well-informed, he celebrated Château Coutet as 'the best Sauternes of Barsac'.

  

What are the characteristics of Château Coutet wines?

  

The vineyard covers a total area of 38.5 hectares and the vines are on average 38 years old. The grape variety composition of Château Coutet consists of Sémillon (75%), Sauvignon Blanc (23%) and Muscadelle (2%).

The soil of Château Coutet consists of reddish clay. Fine gravel, deposited by the Garonne or, depending on the plots, wind-blown sands, rest on a limestone subsoil. The proximity of a small stream, the Ciron, provides Château Coutet with the autumn mists necessary for the formation of the Botrytis cinerea fungus. This fungus promotes a gradual concentration of sugars present in the berries, known as noble rot.

  

The grape harvest at Château Coutet is carried out manually, in several passes since each bunch does not reach over-ripeness at the same time. The wine is aged for a year and a half in cellars offering mild and constant temperature conditions.

  

The best vintages of Château Coutet

  

The best wines from the Château are the Coutet 1929, 1947 and 1949. For tasting, we recommend Château Coutet 1959 and 1961 or even Château Coutet 1975 which is sumptuous. Finally, the vintages of Château Coutet 1990, 2000 and 2005 are remarkable.

  

 Food and wine pairings

  

The pairing of foie gras and Château Coutet wines is recognised by all gastronomes. Regarding cheeses, the combination of the two 'noble rots' - the penicillium roqueforti of Roquefort and the botrytis of Sauternes - is also an excellent choice, as are cooked pressed cheeses such as Comté (24 months aged). Finally, fruit-based desserts also pair very well with the sweet wines of Château Coutet.

  

Château website

  

https://www.chateaucoutet.com

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