Château Coutet

The Château Coutet estate traces its origins to the late 13th century, when the site served as a fortress. The square tower from that era shares a design identical to Château d'Yquem. Documented wine production began in 1643 under Charles le Guérin, making Coutet one of the earliest recorded Sauternes producers. The estate was seized during the French Revolution in 1794 and later passed through the hands of the Lur-Saluces family, who also owned Château d'Yquem. Henry-Louis Guy acquired the property in 1923 and introduced vertical presses. The Baly family purchased Coutet in 1977, and a partnership with Baron Philippe de Rothschild has been in place since 1994.

• Fortress origins in the late 13th century; square tower mirrors Château d'Yquem's architecture
• Wine production documented from 1643, among the oldest in Sauternes
• Thomas Jefferson recognized Coutet as the best Sauternes in Barsac
• Baly family ownership since 1977; Rothschild partnership since 1994

Château Coutet sits within the Barsac commune of the broader Sauternes-Barsac appellation, with the vineyard rising gradually on sloping hillsides to elevations of up to 19 meters. The soils combine sand, red clay, and limestone subsoil with fine gravel and Aeolian sands. The estate benefits from a maritime microclimate shaped by the confluence of the Garonne and Ciron rivers, which generates the autumn mists that promote Botrytis cinerea, the noble rot essential to Sauternes production. Coutet's terroir runs slightly cooler than many neighboring estates, a distinction reflected in its wine style.

• Soils: sand, red clay, limestone subsoil, fine gravel, and Aeolian sands
• Cooler maritime microclimate between the Garonne and Ciron rivers
• Autumn mists from the Ciron encourage Botrytis cinerea development
• Elevation reaches up to 19 meters on gently sloping hillsides

Coutet's flagship wine is its Sauternes Premier Cru Classé, blended from 75% Sémillon, 23% Sauvignon Blanc, and 2% Muscadelle. Grapes are hand-harvested in multiple passes through the vineyard, selecting only fruit with optimal botrytis infection. Annual production runs between approximately 3,500 and 4,500 cases. In exceptional vintages, the estate produces the ultra-limited Cuvée Madame, a separate selection of the finest botrytised fruit. Coutet also produces a dry white wine under the label Vin Sec de Château Coutet, and a second wine called Chartreuse de Coutet.

• Blend: 75% Sémillon, 23% Sauvignon Blanc, 2% Muscadelle
• Hand-harvested with selective passes for botrytis-affected fruit
• Cuvée Madame is a rare, vintage-dependent prestige cuvée
• Also produces Vin Sec de Château Coutet (dry white) and Chartreuse de Coutet (second wine)

The Coutet cellar measures 110 meters in length, making it the longest in the entire Sauternes appellation. This infrastructure supports the estate's production of approximately 3,500 to 4,500 cases per year across its range of wines. The cellar's scale reflects both the estate's size as the largest vineyard in Barsac and its centuries-long commitment to producing sweet wines of Premier Cru quality.

• 110-meter cellar is the longest in the Sauternes appellation
• Production approximately 3,500 to 4,500 cases per year
• Largest vineyard footprint in Barsac at 38.5 hectares
• Average vine age of 60 years contributes to low yields and concentration