Château Coutet 2005

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. 4,165 cases made.

The 2005 Coutet has a perfumed and well-defined nose with orange rind, marmalade, barley sugar and light wild honey scents. The palate is fresh on the entry and very focused, with crisp acidity and a bright, tensile, very pure finish. Excellent. Tasted at the 2005 Sauternes horizontal held at Château Coutet.

With powerful scents of pineapple, apricots, peach, nectarine and vanilla custard all drenched in honey, you know you cannot wait to taste the wine. It delivers there as well, with its sweet, spicy, fat juicy, tropical fruit and honey flavors. Drink it now, or age it for a decade or more.

Medium yellow. Refreshing bouquet with a touch of mirabelle plum, starfruit, chamomile, cooked Golden Delicious, light honey, fine, gently distributed botrytis. On the palate, soft, caressing and creamy, balance at the highest level, ripe fruit, with traces of candied citron and cooked mirabelles in the broad finish.

Medium yellow. Refreshing bouquet with a hint of mirabelle, carambola, chamomile, cooked Golden Delicious and light honey, fine, gently distributed botrytis. On the palate, soft, caressing and creamy, balance at the highest level; the fruit is ripe and, in the broad finish, notes of candied citron and cooked mirabelles appear. 07: On the nose, more Sauternes, like Barsac, which points to its richness. On the palate, exotic, ripe fruit, mango and dried apricots on the finish.

Dense, fresh bouquet with grapefruit, apricots, a touch of botrytis. Full, velvety palate with pronounced sweetness, fine acidity, and abundant aromatics. Long, full finish. 18/20 2015 - 2035

Medium to deep straw-gold in color, the 2005 Coutet delivers alluring candied nut scents of praline and honey walnuts over a core of dried apricots and mangos with a touch of pineapple upside-down cake. Full-on hedonic in the mouth, it has opulent layers and just enough freshness, finishing long.

Green-yellow color. Intense, refined, and subtle nose. Remarkable, dense yet airy entry on the palate. The wine then unfolds silky, melting, and powerful, with nuances of flowers and candied fruits, all with delicacy. pH: 3.2, residual sugar: 135 g/L.

90-92 Barrel sample. Spice and dry botrytis are what this wine is about. There's a wood element as well, which dominates the fruit and the flavors of baked apples and cinnamon. Like all the drier styles, this will be a good food wine.