2005 Coutet, Sauternes (375ml)

SKU #1036506 94 points Wine Enthusiast

*#10 in Wine Enthusiast's Top 100 Wines of 2008* Surprisingly dry, this has richness rather than sweetness, and intense, powerful botrytis. The honey is intensely perfumed, along with baked apples and spice. Certainly a long-aging wine. (RV) (6/2008)

92 points Connoisseurs Guide

It is not unusual for late harvest wines to have a bit of a sharp, kerosene edge to their lush personalities, although that characteristic is more often associated with the sweet wines of Germany than it is with those of Sauternes. Yet there, in the midst of the orange rind, dried peach, juicy pineapple, straw and nuts aromas, sits a somewhat controversial edginess. Some may object and knock the wine down a few points from here, but we see no problem with what is essentially a complexing and balancing agent rather than an inherent flaw. This is one to enjoy sooner than some of its mates, and enjoy it you will. (5/2008)

92 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2005 Château Coutet has a slightly muffled bouquet at the moment: honeysuckle, dried quince and a dab of kerosene in the background. The palate is fresh and vibrant on the entry with plenty of botrytized fruit, tensile and linear in the mouth with fine mineralité, though missing the sheer ambition and dimension of the Climens ’05. Nonetheless, one can appreciate the tensile nature of this Barsac that should give 20 to 30 years of pleasure. (NM) (6/2015)

91 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

Bright golden yellow. Cool, pungent nose offers hints of orange, marzipan, sexy brown spices, parsley, grass and eucalpytus. Sweet, thick and powerful but with its fat fruit flavors cut by strong acidity. At once densely packed and vibrant, finishing with superb lingering sweetness and a mineral element. This needs patience and should evolve slowly. (ST) (7/2008)

91 points Wine Spectator

Spice, dried pineapple, honey and light apricot aromas, like freshly crushed grapes. Full-bodied and very sweet, with masses of crushed fruit character and a long finish. Best after 2010. (JS) (3/2008)

K&L Notes

Barrel tasting: Coconut and honey aromas. Lovely texture and mouthfeel. Lush. ** (Clyde Beffa, K&L Bordeuax buyer)