First Growth Library Release: “A Triumph for the Vintage”
- 96 pts Wine Advocate96 pts RPWA
- 96 pts James Suckling96 pts JS
- 96 pts Decanter96 pts Decanter
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2009 Chateau Coutet Sauternes-Barsac 750 ml
- Curated by unrivaled experts
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- Temperature controlled shipping options
- Get credited back if a wine fails to impress
Critics and Founding Fathers Agree—Coutet is Superb
Château Coutet has been crafting showstopping Sauternes since well before their First Growth classification in 1855. And even considering their centuries of excellence, this triple-96-point 2009—from one of the region’s best vintages ever and benefiting from Mouton-Rothschild’s expertise—is a truly outstanding achievement.
In 2011, Wine Spectator labeled the 2009 Coutet as “clearly a classic in the making.” Now, a decade later, the wine has exceeded those high expectations. The aromatic depth here is astonishing, showing apricot and orange zest supported by notes of aged honey, vanilla, ginger, saffron, dried flowers, and a touch of earth. The palate is lifted and balanced, with flavors of citrus, stone fruit, toast, marmalade, and truffle. It’s got “amazing freshness” to balance its sweetness, and the finish is “epically long,” according to Wine Advocate.
With more than a decade behind it, this Coutet is singing, but if you have more self-control than we do, it will continue to build complexity over the next 20 years.
The extraordinary 2009 vintage produced wines that rank “among the best Sauternes ever made,” according to Decanter, but this Coutet still stands out. James Suckling called it “a triumph for the vintage,” and said it “could be the best Coutet ever.” That’s remarkable praise, since Coutet has been producing top Sauternes for centuries—in 1787, Thomas Jefferson called theirs “the best Sauternes in Barsac.”
That complexity makes Coutet a generous and satisfying dinner companion, and a favorite of Michelin-starred restaurants from coast to coast. It’s “great with foie gras, but also save some for desserts focused on stone or tropical fruits,” says Don Coen, beverage director at Michelin-starred Temporis in Chicago.
This is a wine that delivers tons of bang for the buck, especially considering the pedigree behind this bottle. Since 1994, Mouton-Rothschild has lent their vast winemaking expertise to Coutet’s team. It makes perfect sense: Cheval Blanc has Château d’Yquem, Lafite-Rothschild has Rieussec—it’s only fitting that Mouton would align itself with a similarly great producer of Sauternes.
Coutet’s land is bordered by the Garonne and Ciron Rivers on one side and by forest land on the other, generating a moist microclimate that makes this the ideal terroir for the region’s legendary “noble rot.” The soil consists of gravel and red clay on a bed of limestone, which endows the wines with a racy freshness to balance the rich, candied-white-fruit notes.
A library release from a top estate and top vintage in Sauternes—there are few bottles that will fortify your cellar like the 2009 Coutet, especially at this kind of value.