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Château Coutet, Barsac Premier Grand Cru Classé 2015
Dessert (sweet white)France2015
By Daniel Min · Tasted 2020-11-19 · Published 2026-09-30 · Updated 2026-09-30
At a glance
In one line
5.0/5 — higher than Vivino's 4.2 average · world avg price US$47 · The largest vineyard in Barsac, with a 13th-century tower still standing.
Wine-Searcher aggregate of 20 critic reviews: 94. Vivino lists critic scores of 96, 95 and 95 without naming the publications.
Market note: World average US$47 / 750ml (Wine-Searcher, ex-tax, Sep 2026). Single bottles run from US$34.40 in Hong Kong through US$50.60 in Switzerland and US$52.99 in the US (ex-tax) to US$57.76 in the Netherlands (tax incl.). In-bond cases in the UK and Hong Kong work out to about US$26–35 a bottle. From the same house, Cuvée Madame is US$349 (95) and the second wine, Chartreuse de Coutet, US$32 (89).
Father's note — Daniel Min
Original author of the notes“소테른 강 건너 북쪽 바르삭, 굉장히 진하고 파워풀. 혀와 입안 전체를 막을 씌우는 듯한 유질감과 푸르티 함을 넘어선 과일시럽 폭탄. 복잡미는 소테른 보다 좀 떨어지는 것 같지만 당도와 산도의 밸런스가 맘에 들고 다시 찾고 싶은 맛이다. 바르삭 훌륭.”
Show original
“honey apricot peach marmalade dried apricot ginger cherry cough syrup acacia 소테른 강건너 북쪽 바르삭, 굉장히 진하고 파워풀. 혀와 입안 전체를 막을 씌우는 듯한 유질감과 푸르티 함을 넘어선 과일시럽 폭탄^^ 복잡미는 소테른 보다 좀 떨어지는것 같지만 당도와 산도의 밸런스가 맘에 들고 다시 찾고 싶은 맛이다. 바르삭 훌륭~”
'Ginger.' What I learned today: the scent that comes last stays the longest.
Friday. It was past nine before the first wave of customers ebbed. Master Seo poured a little golden wine into a small glass and set one rule. Tonight, name only one scent. The one that comes last.
Honey came first, then apricot and peach, then a bitter sweetness like simmered orange peel. When I held a sip, a thin film settled over my tongue and the roof of my mouth. And after I had swallowed, something prickly rose very late at the back of my throat. Ginger. Before I could even say the word, a Thursday night in November opened.
Twenty-two, the third Thursday of November. It was the first truly cold night of that year. On the kitchen table stood the glass jar of ginger syrup Mom makes every winter, and in front of me a mug of it was steaming. Dad came in with a cloth-wrapped bottle, set a small glass beside my mug and poured a little gold. After drinking, I said the end smelled like Mom's ginger syrup. Dad smelled his own glass once, opened Mom's jar and smelled again, then nodded hard. I don't know the name of the bottle.
The notebook has just one line for that date. Ginger is tucked among the scent words. Then a texture 'like a film coating the whole tongue and mouth', a 'fruit-syrup bomb'. He liked the balance of sweetness and acidity; a taste he wanted to find again. Five stars. The bottle was Château Coutet 2015. A place called Barsac. I stuck on the wine-name Post-it. Probably the ginger in that list was the ginger Dad checked once more in Mom's jar that night.
Minjae asked carefully whether all sweet wines are Sauternes. Master Seo only said: one river.
After closing, I wrote the bottle's name on page thirty-eight of the new notebook. In the scent column, just one word. 'Ginger.' What I learned today: the scent that comes last stays the longest.
What this wine is
A square tower thought to date from the late 13th century stands at Château Coutet, built in the fortress style of the years when England ruled Aquitaine. A second tower once housed pigeons and peacocks (Wikipedia). The tower came before the wine.
The estate's records begin in 1643, when Charles le Guerin bought it. In the late 18th century Thomas Jefferson, touring France's wine regions, is said to have named Coutet the best wine of Barsac. During the Revolution, in 1794, its owner went to the guillotine; Coutet then passed to the Lur-Saluces family, owners of Château d'Yquem, and for more than a century it shared a household with Yquem. In the early 1920s Henri-Louis Guy bought it and the two parted (1922 or 1923, depending on the source). The Baly family bought it in 1977 and spent years buying back scattered parcels to reunite the vineyard (The Wine Cellar Insider). Since 1994 Baron Philippe de Rothschild S.A. has handled its exclusive distribution.
At 38.5 hectares it is described as Barsac's largest vineyard: sand, red clay and limestone planted to 75% Sémillon, 23% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Muscadelle. Barsac lies north of the Ciron river and may label its wines either 'Barsac' or 'Sauternes'. In 1855 Coutet was ranked a Premier Cru of Sauternes and Barsac.
What the world says
The 20 critic reviews gathered on Wine-Searcher aggregate to 94. Vivino lists 96, 95 and 95 without naming the publications.
On Vivino the 2015 averages 4.2 from 703 ratings: 93 fives, 515 fours and 85 threes — heavily bunched in the fours. The label as a whole averages 4.2 from over 14,000 ratings. Suggested drinking window: 2020–2035.
"Aromas of honey, ginger and minerals. Apricots, peach and apple. Citrus orange and marmalade." — Vivino review, Sep 2022, 4.2 stars
Structure shows sweetness at 4.9, intensity 4.7 and acidity 4.3. Honey (827 mentions) dominates the keywords, followed by apricot (518), peach, marmalade and orange. Ginger turns up 124 times. The producer speaks of very ripe exotic and citrus fruit, vanilla and a finish of preserved apricot.
The world average is US$47 / 750ml (Wine-Searcher, ex-tax, Sep 2026). One review calls this first-growth Sauternes 'incredible value'.
How I drank it
November 19, 2020, 5 stars. It was the only bottle I logged that day.
My note began with a map: across the river north of Sauternes, Barsac. Very concentrated and powerful. A texture that seemed to coat the whole tongue and mouth, beyond fruity — a fruit-syrup bomb, I wrote. Its complexity seemed a little short of Sauternes, but I liked the balance of sweetness and acidity. A taste I wanted to find again. Bravo, Barsac.
In the list of aromas, ginger and cough syrup sit between honey, apricot and marmalade. In the community keywords, too, ginger leads the group right after honey. The community averages 4.2; I gave it 5. That 0.8 lives inside my own sentence — 'a little less complex, but beautifully balanced.' What set the score wasn't complexity but wanting to drink it again.
Where this wine shows up
Thomas Jefferson, touring French wine country, is said to have named Coutet the best wine in Barsac.
Wikipedia — Château Coutet · The Wine Cellar Insider — Chateau Coutet
Artwork and stills are not reproduced for copyright reasons; scenes are summarised.
Vivino community data
2015 vintage rating distribution (703 ratings, average 4.2)
| 5★ | 93 (13%) | |
| 4★ | 515 (73%) | |
| 3★ | 85 (12%) | |
| 2★ | 8 (1%) | |
| 1★ | 2 (0%) |
Most-mentioned aromas
| Family | Mentions | Top keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Earth & leather | 1196 | honey 827 · ginger 124 · minerals 66 · stone 30 · smoke 27 |
| Tree fruit | 1096 | apricot 518 · peach 274 · apple 88 · pear 74 · melon 34 |
| Citrus | 716 | marmalade 199 · orange 153 · citrus 113 · orange peel 72 · lemon 68 |
| Oak | 502 | vanilla 178 · caramel 123 · oak 55 · toffee 29 · chocolate 19 |
| Tropical fruit | 418 | pineapple 213 · tropical 96 · mango 66 · lychee 16 · papaya 11 |
Structure: Acidity 4.3/5 · Intensity 4.7/5 · Sweetness 4.9/5
Average by vintage (all vintages: 14182 ratings, average 4.2)
| Vintage | Average | Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 4.8 | 33 |
| 1975 | 4.4 | 70 |
| 1976 | 4.3 | 53 |
| 1978 | 4.4 | 44 |
| 1979 | 4.4 | 62 |
| 1982 | 4.4 | 36 |
| 1983 | 4.4 | 80 |
| 1985 | 4.2 | 63 |
| 1986 | 4.4 | 100 |
| 1988 | 4.3 | 167 |
| 1989 | 4.3 | 227 |
| 1990 | 4.4 | 201 |
| 1994 | 4.2 | 31 |
| 1995 | 4.2 | 244 |
| 1996 | 4.2 | 225 |
| 1997 | 4.2 | 504 |
| 1998 | 4.2 | 373 |
| 1999 | 4 | 169 |
| 2000 | 4.2 | 223 |
| 2001 | 4.2 | 340 |
| 2002 | 4.2 | 397 |
| 2003 | 4.3 | 425 |
| 2004 | 4.1 | 503 |
| 2005 | 4.2 | 748 |
| 2006 | 4.2 | 501 |
| 2007 | 4.3 | 646 |
| 2008 | 4.2 | 514 |
| 2009 | 4.3 | 827 |
| 2010 | 4.2 | 549 |
| 2011 | 4.3 | 456 |
| 2012 | 4.1 | 318 |
| 2013 | 4.2 | 370 |
| 2014 | 4.3 | 541 |
| 2015 | 4.2 | 703 |
| 2016 | 4.2 | 872 |
| 2017 | 4.2 | 486 |
| 2018 | 4.1 | 198 |
| 2019 | 4.3 | 397 |
| 2020 | 4.2 | 290 |
| 2021 | 4.3 | 64 |
| 2022 | 4.2 | 95 |
| 2023 | 4.2 | 57 |
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→Frequently asked questions
What kind of wine is Château Coutet 2015?
A sweet wine from Barsac in Bordeaux, ranked Premier Cru in 1855. Mostly Sémillon with Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle. The 2015 averages 4.2 on Vivino (703 ratings) with a Wine-Searcher critic aggregate of 94.
How much does it cost?
Wine-Searcher's world average is US$47 per 750ml (ex-tax, Sep 2026). Single bottles overseas run from US$34.40 in Hong Kong to US$57.76 in the Netherlands (tax incl.).
What food goes with it?
The Vivino community suggests fruity desserts and blue cheese. It is very sweet but also high in acidity, and many reviews say it works as a dessert on its own.
What is the difference between Barsac and Sauternes?
Barsac is a village in the Sauternes district, north of the Ciron river, and may label its wines either 'Barsac' or 'Sauternes'. Château Coutet is described as the first growth with Barsac's largest vineyard.
Links & sources
View on Vivino · Prices on Wine-Searcher
- Vivino — wine page and community data
- Wikipedia — Château Coutet
- The Wine Cellar Insider — Chateau Coutet
- Wine-Searcher — 2015 Chateau Coutet
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France · Champagne★★★★★Highly rated by FatherMaison Leroy Saint-Aubin Premier Cru Le Charmois Blanc 2002
France · Burgundy★★★★★Highly rated by FatherClos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 (Napa Valley)
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