The Drink Business – Bordeaux 2021: Sauternes tasting notes

Château Coutet 2021: 93-95/100

(Barsac; 75% Sémillon; 23% Sauvignon Blanc; 2% Muscadelle; 13% alcohol; tasted twice at the UGCB press tasting). Darker in the glass (in fact the darkest of the Sauternes and Barsac flight at the UGCB tasting). Cool, concentrated and a little closed at first – delightfully so. This is subtle, austere even and very beautiful. It’s also very Coutet – and an easy pick blind. Almonds, almond skin, frangipane, melon and a slight beeswax note, honey and honeysuckle. Fresh ginger and candied orange rind; lots of botrytis character. Open-textured, seems to float and glide, maybe not as concentrated as some, but there’s a lovely lithe subtlety to this.

Colin Hay