1995 Coutet Cuvee Madame
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Tasting Notes
Thanks to its combination of absolute quality and supreme rarity, Coutet’s Cuvee Madame has a near mythical status. Fewer than 1,500 bottles are produced from the Barsac estate’s oldest vines, only when the conditions are perfect, meaning that it has been released just a handful of times since 1943.Jancis Robinson gave it a near perfect 19 points, praising the “pure essence of Sémillon… Great acid and extraordinary persistence” – the hallmarks of any great Sauternes. At over a quarter of a century of age, the 1995 is still in the early years of its drinking window. Neal Martin suggests this “powerful Cuvée Madame” will “age for decades”.
Critic Scores
Average Score
Neal Martin
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Bright golden tawny – orangey gold. Edge that’s very slightly burnt with barley sugar and then medium weight and pure essence of Sémillon with a strong apricot purée aspect. Great acid and extraordinary persistence. Builds on the finish and just goes on and on. Really lively. RS 145 g/l. 100% Sémillon. 100% barrel fermented, 100% new oak, all of it in new French oak for three years. Bottled June 1998. (Sept 2015)
The Chateau Coutet 1995 Cuvee Madame, picked on October 4 and delivering 145 grams per liter of residual sugar (the lowest of the last four vintages), has a very pure, almost Tokaji-like bouquet with marmalade, lime flower, lanolin and dried honey. The palate is unctuous on the entry with impressive presence in the mouth with notes of Manuka honey dallying with marmalade and dried apricot. It is quite linear toward the finish, very nicely focused with orange rind and honey. This is a powerful Cuvee Madame that will age for decades. Aug 2015, www.robertparker.com
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About the producer
Classified as a First Growth in 1855, this Barsac property has a history stretching back to the 14th century. Today it has 38.5 hectares of vineyard, producing brilliant sweet wines cut by taut acidity. In certain years, it produces Cuvée Madame, pure botrytised Semillon from its oldest vines.