great QPR. had at the end of a decadent evening of food and wine with a pecan pie and vanilla ice cream and whip cream. cinnamon, honey apple with good crisp acidity. perhaps a tad lighter bodies than a sauternes but at that point in the evening, it was perfect for what we wanted
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Marmalade, creme pat and some hints of Cointreau on pouring. With air and desert it grows more layers. Some Bakewell notes and hints of butterscotch. A little spearmint and a couple of PPM of orange oil. Lovely stuff.
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From a 750. Purchased on release and stored in a temp and humidity controlled cellar. No ullage. Bottle appeared pristine. Cork split near the bottom and was "stuck" in the neck. Came out in pieces. Otherwise the cork looked and felt perfect. Strained debris. Deep amber to orange gold in color. Crystal clear. Nose of soft ripe fruits; apricot, peach and nectarine. Similar flavors in the mouth. Nice acidity. Moderately long finish. I did not get much more than a wisp of botrytis. Not much "raciness". Don't recall earlier notes to know if it had it and it's now muted. Didn't get tropical fruits either. Right on the edge of VG+. Just not enough complexity for my taste. Nonetheless; paired well with the almond torte topped with fresh navel, and "raspberry", oranges that my daughter brought. Very serviceable if not compelling.
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A very well matured Barsac, with the usual aromatic explosion in the mouth, of honey, exotic spices, pineapple, mango, nuts, gingerbread, dried figs and raisin, plums, and a welcome hint of eucalyptus in the long finish. Well balanced and, as expected, a good pairing with our Tarte tatin.
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Drank with Francois and then with Brona (couple of weeks later). Fantastic both times. Quite Barsac in character - not too cloying. Plenty of life in it.
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{Half bottle purchased on release, have probably had this wine > 20 times} Yellow-caramel color, apricots and stone fruit, long length, impeccable finish. Touch of botrytis and enough acidity to keep things fresh. Wonderful.
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Color/App: lovely light/medium yellow gold core; high viscosity. Fabulous aromatics: yellow flowers, honeysuckle, coconut, pineapple and peaches and a drizzle of caramel running through it all. Still a bit of puppy fat on the palate that dazzles with citrus, nectarine and spicy botrytis. Fairly concentrated and very well put together; the best regular Coutet I can remember since the '75. Super long finish and while it could use a touch more acidity, this is fine and aging well. I'll give it another 5+ years to peak. 92 with upside still.
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Dinner at La Boheme with the Crew (Palo Alto): See Ashish’s note, but perhaps I liked it a bit more. Really gorgeous, I love how sweet the nose is and yet the finish is nicely balanced and not sugary. Delicious.
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Dinner with the wine group (La Bohème, Palo Alto): 375mL. Fabulous yellow-golden color; incredible aromatics, floral, vibrant, touch of mint, honeyed; palate is light-medium bodied, elegant, floral, honeyed, apricots, white fruit; finish is medium-plus length with some minerality. Lovely, unique Coutet and Sauternes. Always a unique pleasure this year. 92
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1st of 12, pnp, perfect cork and level - quite pale yellow, leggy; tropical fruit, honey, some lime, attractive and fresh; medium, ok length and persistence, not particularly concentrated or complex, dryish for Barsac, some upside, 20+ years. F (17.5)......the excellent 03 perhaps surprisingly is to be preferred.
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The greatest sweet wines are more spritely than this one, which has the requisite sweetness but less acidity, but this is still delicious, fully evolved but not at all over-the-hill. Very popular with our guests.
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Whiskey colored 21 years after the vintage. touch of caramel and tropical fruits. Minor presence of acidity as well. Paired with oysters, chicken pate, duck pate and Point Reyes blue cheese, this was a good if not outstanding match with all. Overall found the wine Excellent.
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2002 Claret Horizontal (Piccolino, Exchange Square): Fully mature and well structured Barsac. Need to rush for a train distracted me a little but there is a beautiful texture to this as well as that classic blend of acidity and sweetness. On the fruits there is some stone fruit and that touch of spearmint I find in Coutet from time to time. This was from half. Suspect it is at or a whisker beyond its apogee. Great end to the evening.
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02 Claret @ Piccolino (Piccolino, Liverpool Street Stn, London): Half. Deep, bright salmon pink. Copper with a pinkish hue. Some minerally botrytis on the nose, a touch of apricot, but traditional/classic off dry sweetness with a medicinal and mineral line. I preferred this five years ago when it had more fruit and sweetness and a little more energy. ****
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Clean closure. Mid gold and bright. Big botrytis nose. Palate is delightfully balanced with a taut acidity, nice streak of salinity and full golden mouthful of honey, orange pith and cooked pineapple.
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The first whiff of the wine portends great things. The nose is beguiling, with a hint of steely minerality to complement the usual cast of characters - orange marmalade, lime zest, apricot jam and some steeliness. The first sip floods the mouth with a more of those same flavors, but finely tuned - the sugar of cloying marmalade and apricot jam has attenuated into a fragrant Korean citron tea and zingy tartaric acid. There is a wonderful balance of spice & saffron botryitis notes, with fully integrated oak in the form of a luscious pastry cream with just a hint of vanilla. A bracing light bitterness on a very long, saffron-citron infused finish. Very classic Barsac - what it lacks in density and richness, it makes up for in aristocratic finesse. Would have liked to follow it over the course of a few days, but alas the 750 disappeared all too quickly.
Overall, a very good 2001, if not quite at the level of Climens or Suduiraut, drinking very nicely today and for the next couple decades.
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Cork in perfect shape. Very light golden, excellent color for its age; high intensity aromatics, orange blossom, honeyed, slight mint; palate is medium-minus bodied, light and elegant mouthfeel due to exceptionally vibrant medium-plus acidity, still quite a youthful sweetness, some bitter citrus like grapefruit in the midpalate, not much mature notes; finish is medium-plus length but could be longer. As I've said before, this is a lighter and more elegant style even within Coutet's style, perhaps unexpected for such a prominent vintage. Exceptionally food friendly, good complexity though not superlatively so, wonderful balance. At this point the Coutet 2001 is aging as slowly as the Yquem 2001, while all other chateau are much more mature at this stage. This is one of my favorites, though perhaps just for my palate and others may appreciate more richness or depth. This will easily age for 2-3 more decades and may transform at some point. 93
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Somewhat oxidized. Dark golden color, low acid, some heaviness. Still a pleasure to drink, with a nutty sweetness, but lacking the acidic balance that would have elevated it (and would have made it a better match with the food).
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Brief notes. Nose of pineapple and honey. On the palate, notes of apricot, honey. However, it lacked balance, felt short, very one-dimensional and somewhat bitter. Seemed to have lost some energy. Not a bad wine but expected more for the vintage and the domaine.
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Very clean cork on a 375ml bottle. Limpid gold - still very bright. Served without a chill straight from the cellar. Grapefruit nose denoting botytis - palate is weighty - nice pineapple and barley sugar with tremendous clean length with a serious lemons sherbet kick on the end.
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Damn, had some great aromas of baked apricot, caramel and cinnamon on the nose. However unfortunately did not deliver on taste. Some synthetic notes then flat fruit. A shame since the initial aromas were certainly promising.
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{half bottle} The nose is in a great place already; color is still more youthful than middle-age. Great typicity, with some spicy apricot, plenty of mineral, brûlée, etc. Med+ body, excellent acidity. Should hold at this level through the end of the decade, though I think it's quite brilliant already. highly recommended
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Typical Barsac, with honey, fig, apricot, nut aromas competing with some vegetable notes of rhubarb, rose and lychies. Overall too sweet and too heavy. Perhaps my tongue is getting less tolerant to such an assault of sugar.
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Zoom wine tasting/drinking with Cassidy Dart MW (Zoom): A joy to have this wine at this stage and it is definitely a great result as expected given the vintage. The aromatics and flavour are text book Sauternes, apricot, soft honey, light caramel and noble rot. On the palate it’s its effortless, light on its feet and albeit it has a lot of depth of flavour it is not heavy at all. Very solid and will leave another 20-30 summers. 94
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Gold with a powerful aroma of mushroom and emulsion paint on the nose which I quite liked. Orange marmalade fruit present too which follows through on the fairly intense palate with orange zest, spiciness and lovely mid sweet finish. Wonderful.
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Beautiful wine but less sweet than I recall it. I think it's shedding some sweetness and gaining complexity. Orange marmalade, honey and hints of petrol on the nose. Boytritis definitely present as well. I think this is at full maturity at this point and doubt it will evolve further. It feels lighter than three years ago. Time to drink up.
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Classic Coutet. Light and delicate yet plenty of pineapple fruit. Lightly sweet. Good length. Completely ready. Coutet doesn’t age forever so better to drink it now while it’s ballerina pretty.
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Rich, deep gold - looks wonderful in the decanter. Nose is indistinct but pleasant. Perfect balance on palate, with sugar, acid, marmalade and a certain high-toned joyfulness. Yum!
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Half bottle. Light petroleum notes with marmalade and toasted brioche. Typical Coutet and normally quite welcome but heavy in the company of Baumard Coteaux de Layons.
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Beautiful clear burnished gold colour; wonderful nose of marmalade and expensive petroleum; taste = so typically Coutet: a medley of dried fruits, with soft understated fragrant botrytis. As always with Coutet, just a feeling that style has replaced depth, but this is to quibble.
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Golden yellow. Notes of ripe botrytis, apricot, pineapples, honeysuckle and white flowers. Rich and elegant on the palate, this is well balanced with hints of acidity. Nothing better than a Sauternes to end our wine dinner.
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Rich orange and marmalade with beautifully balanced acidity. Very full, mouthcoating palate. A blockbuster, but still fine. I'm sure this will last for ages, but no need to wait!
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Pineapple, citrus and orange nose with a complex palate of tropical fruit, spice and that distinct botrytis flavour. Pretty sweet, acidity is moderate but delicious nonetheless.
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Deep yellow color, with coconut and hazelnuts in the nose. This wine is enjoyable, but is definitely losing its acidity, giving it a slightly flabby quality. It retains fruit, but is almost now too sweet, fading as its structure begins to crumble.
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The colour of lemon barley sugar this wine remains elegant with a nose of candied lemons, poached vanilla pears, freshly cut apricots and leatherwood honey. The palate is medium weight yet unctuous and rich with a lovely lightness to the balance. Overall a lovely fine glass of Barsac.
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Half bottle. Bright, full yellow. Light coconut and creme brûlée, a touch of honey. Elegant feel, moderate sweetness, fine acidity. In a word, lively. Even from this format, it has a long way to go.
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Always big expectations for a 2001 Barsac. It was lovely- notes of apricot, mango and crisp white fruits. Great golden color. It wasn't the best 2001 but I expect this will get better with age. I'd hold on to this for some time.
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Very nice, if a touch of a let-down for the combination of Coutet and 2001. But that may just be its phase in life - let this sit a while longer and I bet it will blossom. It's delightful now, but a bit specious. Ripe, honeyed, tropical, but missing some of that acidic drive and purity one finds in the greats. I do very much like its freshness, though, and that is a major strength that shouldn't be overlooked.
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Lovely fresh Coutet, pineapple, mango and orange peel in perfect harmony. Alchohol a bit too present at first, but burnt off. Then lovely creamy and crisp Coutet. Impressive bright gold orange colour.
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I'm a big fan of this Sauternes. Just the right amount of sweetness for me -- a light dessert wine. Beautiful complexity, starting with a core of sweet mango and expanding into honey, saffron, candied ginger, and orange zest. It seems impossible not to like this. It's not particularly powerful, but it's elegant and delicious. A real steal.
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Wines with Friends; 7/10/2017-7/17/2017 (Pine Lake Trout Club): In a really nice place right now. From a 750 and consumed over two nights. No real change. Amber/gold in color. The nose has apricots and citrus. On the palate, the same. Sweet but not a whole lot. Viscous. Long finish. Very tasty.
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Everything in tune for drinking now. Complex but smooth. Elegant; not a powerhouse. Exceptional value. Nearly perfect for me, except lacking great power.
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Difficult for me to rate this in isolation as I recently had a truly awesome De Fargues 2004 which managed to be lighter on its feet and to have more nuance than this, while I was expecting the 2001 vintage to sing louder and clearer. The Coutet is quite well developed, a deepening golden colour; some caramel notes amidst the apricot botrytis flavours. Perhaps acidity is a little lacking for me and it comes over a little ponderous, which I was certainly not expecting from a Coutet. I will continue to drink with enjoyment, and enthusiasm as this is a very good wine. Just not, for me, a great one.
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Exceptional wine. Honey, spice and saffron on the nose, and marmalade, ginger, honey and pineapple on the palate. So rich it's almost smokey. Very pleased with this purchase.
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This bottle was a little bit too far aged for it's age and was not stored perfectly early in life. quince, white flowers, citrus peel, apricot, brown sugar. nice balance of sugar and acid. long finish.
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Epic 2001 Sauternes Horizontal (San Francisco): Tasted single-blind. From a 375. Light golden color; aromatic, floral, orange blossom, honey, mint; palate is light to medium bodied, medium sweetness, medium-plus acidity, some citrus fruit on the palate, nice complexity; medium length finish. 92-93. This strikes me as the Coutet based on my last tastes of this wine. Of all the wines at the tasting, this may be the most unique and versatile in its food pairings. Day 3: Still a very light golden color; lovely aromatic nose similar to the first day; palate is largely unchanged as well. A unique and satisfying wine.
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Excellent. Delicious and sophisticated. Thick mango lassi with ginger, orange zest, and honey. Extraordinary value at $29 for a 375ml bottle on KLWines.
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Dinner at B&A: Blind. Bright gold, lovely sweetness. This is Barsac, and I think it's Coutet. Late 90s, — 98 I think. It's sweet but it has an almost effortless freshness and floatiness to it too. Dangerously drinkable. Lovely. ****
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Delicious! This sat in a decanter a few hours and showed wonderfully when served with apricot marmalade, vanilla cream, honey, and plenty of botrytis spice flavours, and more than enough acidity to balance the sweetness and intensity on the palate.
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Have to agree with the notes posted by BurgundyAL and RIESLINGFAN in April 2016. It seemed a little young, especially given the age of the bottle. Drank from a 375. My last remaining bottle, so I won't see how it will age going forward.
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Monday Night Blinds (Home (Noe st)): From .375 L (blind) Pale gold Nose: Peach, slight tropical/mango and botrytis (saffron) Sweetness feels 150 g/L - a bit on the sweet end of dessert wines. Medium acid - a bit lower than I’d like. Alcohol feels 13.5% a bit hot (actually 14%)
Conclusions: Structure and heavy botrytis on the nose suggest Sauternes. This is on the sweeter/riper end of Sauternes (acid is lower, sugar is higher).
WineFest in Toronto (Mike Grammer); 7/10/2016-7/12/2016 (Mike Grammer's (parents home) in Toronto): Found this one excellent. It had a lot of air and the bottle only had a few pours in it when I got to it. The nose has apricots, brown sugar and some peach. On the palate, this is sweet with enough acidity to cut thru. Slightly oily texture. Clean. The apricots and brown sugar carry over. Quite complex at this point. Certainly in adulthood, but with years left.
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This is showing younger than most of the 2001 Sauternes/Barsac I have tried to date. The fruit is still in the fresh rather than dried range, in this case mostly peach. There is lots of vanilla richness, but the palate impression is quite lively. Not much in the way of development, despite being from a 375ml. Give it a bunch more time.
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Lemon custard, candied orange peel and cling peaches in a vibrant, intensely youthful package. I prefer a slightly more mature Sauternes, so will hold my bottles for another 5-10 years, perhaps opening a 375 earlier.
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Burnt caramel. Very candied. Pineapple. Orange. Rich and sweet, but medium acidity keeps it in check. As always coutet is the real deal. I suppose the only drawback is that these 2001 are so expensive, but damn is the vintage perfect for the stickies.
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Pineapple, candied orange rind and apricots coated with vanilla custard and honey create the aromatics. There is a vibrancy to the fruit that keeps it uplifting from start to finish, making this the perfect sweet treat. This is drinking really at 15 years of age.
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Signature apricot, honey and burnt sugar, and a faint background of hazelnut and clay. Unctuous palate, could arguably use a touch more acidity. Nice lingering finish. Paired with fois gras. Lovely.
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The Fourteenth Stonefields Dinner (Guelph, Ontario, Canada): The nose was dominated by fresh cut mint, lemon, dried apricot and honey. The palate was quite viscous with tropical fruits, white plum, spice and white pepper. Could us a touch more acid in my mind as it is just so big and dense. Finish was medium with moderate complexity
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Tasted over 1 hr and day 2, from 375mL -translucent med gold -moderately expressive warm apricot butter caramel -barely med acidity, med- weight with unctuous texture, med sweetness, OK complexity on mid-palate but long caramel butterscotch finish -just a bit less acidity than ideal but still very good and very early in its long drinking window, great pair for roquefort
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Ian A's Palmer @ Trompette (La Trompette, London): Gorgeous nose. Light to mid gold. Fragrant, a good whiff of botrytis but a sweet and intense rather than medicinal sense. Long and lovely. Curiously destroyed by the bergamot tart. ****+
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Annual Wine Group Summer Event - BBQ Brisket at Siggy's (Siggy & Jenny's Place, Mpls, MN): Medium plus gold color. PNP, drank 1 glass over 20 minutes. Showing very nicely, with a bright nose full of ripe apricot, peaches and cream, honey and white florals, and notes of spice. The palate is nicely balanced, apricot, honey, medium plus body, ripe peach, pineapple, and touch of tangerine, spiced and long on the finish.
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Deep straw in color with a glint of gold. Nose of apricots and chalk. Tastes of parfait with peaches, lanolin, and minerals. Light and young. Not as complex as expected, but went nicely with Turkish rice pudding.
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Upfront nose of honey, preserved (sugared) fruit and slightly savory note. Relatively refreshing and light palate with a light, short finish. Quite good but not complex nor "big".
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I don't consider myself very knowledgeable with regard to Sauternes, but I must say I was not as impressed with this older bottle as I had hoped to be, based on the vintage rating. The color was of nice dark honey, consistent with 13 years of rest. The nose was pleasant, but saw little intonation as it was opening in the glass. I paired it with a less salty Gorgonzola than I usually use, and this may have been a poor choice for this bottle. On net, it was very good, but not dazzling.
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ok. not sure whether I expected more as I begin to taste through some of my 01s but thought this was pleasant but lacked the acidity to provide extra verve and life to the wine. flavor profile was ok but again nothing extraordinary.
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Just another awesome showing here. Great producer, great vintage. The balance is impeccable. Nose is of marzipan, honey, fresh orange peel and a medium plus level of botrytis via some forest undergrowth notes. Palate is amazingly balanced, not at all cloying. The gorgeous fresh citrus notes dance across the palate. The Acid, Residual Sugar, Viscosity and Botrytis are all at the perfect levels to my palate. Little to no oak noted. Finish is long.
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Pure joy to swish this with no hurry to swallow. A fine-tuned dessert broth of well-spiced chilled-peach. May have set the record for fastest disappearing Sauterne 750--we couldn't keep our hands off it. A lot of pleasure in this bottle.
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Margaux Dinner, Harvard Fly Club: Deep gold. Lots of interesting things going on aromatically; petrol, botrytis spices, smoke, honey, vanilla, and tropical fruits galore. Some people might not like the smoky aspect but I dig it. Good volume and balance. Biscuity, spicy finish at medium+ length.
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Advanced color and aromatics-volatile, varnish qualities. Not as advanced in the mouth, but thin. We tasted this blind, and I was surprised and disappointed when the label was revealed. Although I have not tasted this before, it's hard to imagine that something was not awry here. Pretty weird showing.
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Climens Vertical (Pasion, San Francisco, CA): From a 375. Mint, eucalyptus, lighter styled; medium to light bodied, fresh, good food wine; finish is medium length. I initially tasted this blind and was guessing about 10 year old lighter bodied Sauternes, like Filhot. 90-91 Update: This really balanced out nicely after 30-60 minutes of air. The green notes integrated well, and the palate fleshed out a bit. An interesting wine that is wonderful to drink, but not superlative in its complexity especially for the 01 vintage. 91-92 1/20/14: (48 hours)- nose has fleshed out a bit with apricots, slight varnish continues; palate has refreshing acidity, good flavors, but not better than on Day 1. A little thin throughout. A good pairing with food, but not much more, unfortunately. 90-91
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Had expected more form this bottle - stilll a very good wine. Some way off from the big ones though... Will keep for ages and improve with the years as this was quite tight at the moment.
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Wow is this ever delicious. It's loaded with spice, fruit & vanilla cream, with great palate presence and fantastic length. It's a fantastic drinking experience now, but there's also more than a little upside for the patient.
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What a fantastic showing for this Sauternes! Nose blasts spicy botrytis, with loads of spicy tangerine and lemon candy fruit. Palate is everything you could want, an excellent balance of sweetness, viscosity, and acid. Finish is quite long and gives great lift on the Moroccan spiced apricot finish.
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BBQ Brisket with Big Reds (Siggy & Jenny's Place, Mpls, MN): Medium dark gold color. PNP, drank 1 glass over 20-30 minutes. In a word, balanced. This was drinking perfectly, balanced, lovely with a nose of ripe peaches, pineapple, apricot, honey, white flowers, and spice. The palate shows good body, rich and mouth coating, with ripe peach, pineapple, pear, botrytis, and lovely purity. Nice long finish. 93+pts.
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Mid gold, advanced colour; muted, has a certain style but low key; sweet, acidity gives the drive, currently understated. A quiet phase? Previous bottle had more going for it.
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Had some aromas of lanolin and tropical fruits. It was rich and beautifully proportioned, tasting of brulee and citrus. Length of flavour was most excellent.
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2001 Sauternes Horizontal (Pasion in San Francisco, CA): From a 750. Color is deep yellow transitioning to golden; nose shows great honey aromatics, some fresher citrus fruit, intense guava; palate has explosive tropical fruit, pineapple, guava, medium bodied with more refreshing balance than concentration, good acidity to balance the sweetness but not over-the-top acidity that produces that effervescent effect, slightly thinner midpalate; finish is medium length. This is a solidly made barsac that still drinks quite young but is enjoyable now. Many see this as a disappointment for the vintage compared to other chateaux, but I see its role as different. Most 2001s are very concentrated wines that stand alone, but Coutet is always a wine that pairs well with food due to its elegance. This wine may never reach the heights or the ridiculous complexity of Suduiraut/Fargues/Yquem, but it provides much pleasure now and in the next 2-3 decades with a special meal. This is also an ideal aperitif wine. 91-93 Update day 2: Holds up nicely with excellent complexity to accompany its light body. Such a great wine to sip with food. Update day 4: Integrated nose with more spicy fruit marmalades instead of crisper fresher fruit like on day 1. Otherwise very similar.
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Brian's Birthday Dinner (Buono Restaurant, Singapore): A very nice Coutet, but this does not seem to have moved much from when I had it 2 years ago. The nose had a little smoky, rubbery twang that made E guess it was a Coutet, along with sweet scents of dried apricots and more tropical tones of preserved mangoes and candied ginger. Pretty nice. I liked the palate too. Very fresh, brilliantly delineated, this was very impressive for a Coutet, with a really good depth and moreishness to flavours of dried apricots, sweet lemons and spice to go along with the wonderfully integrated acidity of the vintage. It had a nice, rich finish too, with treacle notes sprinkled with some spice and a handful of roasted nut flavours. Very good, but just a bit lacking in complexity and interest at the moment. This should be really nice in ten years or so though, and it certainly has the bones to age well into its third, fourth or even older decades.
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Tasted non blind. Opened and served immediately. Served from 375ml.
Light gold color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of hazelnut, honeysuckle and lychee. Flavors of lychee, light honey notes, a bit of nuts and some minerals on the finish. Medium to bright acidity, medium to full bodied. Drink or hold.
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From 75 cl. Everyone around the table agees that this is a very fine bottle of Barsac. This is fine suff with some maturity and adequate acidity, light on its feet and good botrytis. 2001 is indeed a very good vintage.
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Light gold color. Aromatic and spicy botrytis aromas of lemon curd, vanilla creme brulee and ripe apricots on the nose. A melange of sweet apricot, peach and orange marmalade, all butressed with good acidity keep the palate fresh and lively.
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From 1/2 bottle. Judging from other notes, this wasn't a good showing at all. Nice aromatics and quite solid length, but lacking vigour and tension; quite dull.
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Had this with homemade Creme Brulee for dessert on Friday night. Lovely creamy texture, lemon custard and vanilla flavors. Good structure and pleasure to drink. Minor nitpick is that the acidity seems a tad low in this wine, but that's something age may take care of as the fruit and sugars recede with age.
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An almost perfect Sauternes. Well within its drinking window, those who love Sauternes could do worse than enjoying this right now. Goes down very easily, with a complex nose of classic rotted grapes. Excellent!
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Spicy light strawberry and apricot nectar, red pepper flakes and dark caramel chew, the highest tones of mint; then buttered bagel, lime, and white truffles, honey and beeswax, and finally faint maraschino gasoline. Beautiful body of infinitesimal lubricating globules. Served slightly chilled.
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Light lemon yellow, in a half bottle perfectly stored since release, still 5-10 years away from maturity. Pear, yellow apple, pear eau de vie, vanilla, touch of citrus acidity. Medium sweet, but still disjointed. Needs time.
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excellent botrytis here and the acidity cuts through the sweetness with precision. Nose shows clover honey, citrus, and possibly pear/apple tones. It was drinking beautifully from a 750, but time will help this wine quite a bit still - 7-10 more years shoud do it.
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This is a grat wine with loads of all the things you find on the nose in a classic Barsac. I've found the Coutet stick out with it's lemon notes though and the 2001 even more so. It is a perfectly balanced on the palate with the acidity and crispness and a long lingering tiaste. Bravo.
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huge luciious mouthfeel, slight maturity, pineapple and some caramel, is hitting a beautiful stride out of 750, everyone drank it very quickly, this was good!
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light to med gold, apricots, honey, orange zest - most of the stuff one expects. still a little dense, not terribly complex. kind of one-d. nice, maybe still mellowing out.
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From 375ml. Although the usual suspects (baked apple, spiced pear, pineapple, creamed cantaloupe) are manifest, the presentation is subdued, closed in on itself, compacted. Unfolds a little in 24 hours, with acid and spice more prominent. Potentially excellent, this is very young and needs at least ten more years to express what it's capable of. Today, the contrast with the exuberance of '01 d'Yquem could hardly be more dramatic.
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Deep golden color. I'm not sure if it was me or if it was this bottle of wine, but it performed well below my expectations. Nose of ripe mango & sweet honeysuckle, but a rather weak taste of honey, bit of citrus and mango.
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Naples Annual Boys Lunch: Good nose showing nice bright lighter more nuanced peach and apricot. Rich sweet dense, quite lush. 92 Some chemical quality on finish, hold it back.
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I opened this a while back, found it a bit dull, and froze the last third until tonight... and via the freeze-thaw, this Barsac has come to life! A gorgeously pure and penetrating bouquet of uber-ripe pears, orange marmalade and vanilla bean creme brulee greets the nostrils. There’s terrific sweetness and weight, but it's wonderfully fresh and fruity to go with its unctuousness. Still young, this clearly is outstanding, but it needs more time (or an aggressive decanting) to show its true potential.
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Lunch at Alba (Restaurant Alba, Keong Saik Road): Very yummy. Perhaps less layered and complex than expected for a 2001, but nevertheless a delicious wine to end the meal with. The nose was classic Sauternais. Honey, nectar, apricot jam, preserved peaches, dried longans, along with a little rubbery overtone. Palate was a little less developed, but still nice. Some lychee creme, peaches and apricots, more honeyed tones, all wrapped in that just superb 2001 balance that kept the wine lithe and lively from attack to finish. I thought it was a little on the thin side for a 2001 Barsac at first, but to my surprise, it actually stood up to a rich chocolate lava cake! It was just the balance of the wine that kept it seeming so light I think. There certainly was some substance here. A very nice wine.
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Splendid wine from an outrageously good vintage. Emits the barest whiff of honey and lavender. It is round with fabulous precision. Should live for decades.
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Last two bottles that I have drank of this wine were a 180 degrees from the first that I had in 2008. All the hallmarks of an excellent Sauternes: armomatically pleasant, rich, sweet but balanced acidity to provide a fresh apricot and pear flavor that lingers memorably.
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Medium yellow. Great sweet lemon nose. Very sweet with a bit of bothrytis. Really nice citrus flavours combined with a balanced sweet finish. There is a lot of nice acid to finish off this great Barsac. I think Coutet is quickly becoming my favorite Sauternes/Barsac.
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Deep glossy, golden colour. Quite a light fresh nose; apricots, botrytis, citrus and zingy pineapple. The unctuous, rich full body is balanced well with the lively acidity. Lovely complexity of flavour. Powerfully concentrated palate of orange marmalade, apricot, vanilla brulee and maple syrup. Intense, sweet, long and lingering. Very good.
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WIML91. Decent Barsac but I would have expected more from this heralded vintage. So far my least favorite from the vintage. Continue to hold is my recommendation.
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Nice nose of orange peel, pound cake, and later on caramel. Medium body, nice palate that combined toffee and caramel with citrus oils, but this wine was difficult to drink, even after a great dinner with dessert, because it has no acidity to speak of. Off balance. Many people didn't finish their glass, I noticed. Too sweet without the balance.
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A beautiful golden yellow color with aromas of sweet jet fuel. Full bodied and well layered. Rich wth abundant tropicals, exotics, and citrus. The acidity is on the light side for a nice balance and early consumption. Drink or hold.
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From half bottle. Medium gold. Intense, quite honeyed nose, floral, sweet and slightly spicy. Good concentration on palate, but elegant too. Candied stone fruit, floral notes and lovely crisp acidity on a very good length finish. Lovely!
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Appealing Nose of Mango, Bananna, Apricot. Attack was a liitle sluggish to reveal the citric flavor, but soft and round. Warm mouthfeel. Develpoment of the flavors of apple, apricot, and lemon evolved for about 30 seconds. Good, but lacked the integration and finesse I had hoped for.
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On this night, rather shy and reserved. I have liked this slightly more in previous tastings. Botrytis and butter, good not great mouthfeel, a bit hollow on the midpalate and finish. Still very nice.
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A pale golden color. This Barsac has a nice sweet lemon flavor. The lemon disappears quickly however and the finish ends with a very sweet pop. This is a very enjoyable desert wine.
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i'm not getting any younger so drink what i have... a tad cloying but very tasty none-the-less... little wierd on the finish in the back palate, but yet quite enjoyable... probably better in a few years...
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Light gold color. Lots of tropical and citris fruits on the nose. A failry thick wine with a nice finish. I'm going to let the rest of them sleep as I think this will evolve nicely.
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Very nice - Don't have tons of 01 Sauternes/Barsac experience to compare to, but I clearly thought the La Tour Blanche was a richer, more interesting drink. The Coutet is definitely excellent however.
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The Wine Society: 1855 - Celebrating the Bordeaux Classifications (Lancaster): Lemony pale gold. Quite a light nose - very fresh with a physalis perfume. Much higher acidity than the 2003 Exhibition Sauternes from the Wine Society and the 2001 Doisy Védrines. This is very elegant indeed. Almost a bit too refined. Very pure. Hugely clean, especially afterwards, and really refreshing. Very Good Indeed.
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Rich yellow golden hue, clear at the edge; Nose inaccessible and subdued upon opening - after several days in the bottle, vanilla, tropical fruit reveals itself on the nose; sweet custardy flavor with lemon filling, slathers the tongue, a long finish with the rich body balancing the understated tart acidity. Never cloying.
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This was a nice Sauternes/Barsac but I just thought it was young and rough around the edges. Rich yellow color. Notes of apricot, almond and nutmeg with a slightly spicy finish. Full bodied and textural. Needs significant time in my opinion. Not really my style of Sauternes but for those with a preference for fuller and spicier dessert wines it will be up your alley. 92-94+ points. Closer to the low end now.
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4/20/2024 - Duncan H wrote: 93 Points
Excellent - distinctly Barsac, not overly sweet/cloying but very full bodied
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4/14/2024 - winelover1808 Likes this wine: 92 Points
great QPR. had at the end of a decadent evening of food and wine with a pecan pie and vanilla ice cream and whip cream. cinnamon, honey apple with good crisp acidity. perhaps a tad lighter bodies than a sauternes but at that point in the evening, it was perfect for what we wanted
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1/27/2024 - Vinumming & Ahhing Likes this wine: 92 Points
Marmalade, creme pat and some hints of Cointreau on pouring. With air and desert it grows more layers. Some Bakewell notes and hints of butterscotch. A little spearmint and a couple of PPM of orange oil. Lovely stuff.
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1/12/2024 - drdecanto Likes this wine: 90 Points
From a 750. Purchased on release and stored in a temp and humidity controlled cellar. No ullage. Bottle appeared pristine. Cork split near the bottom and was "stuck" in the neck. Came out in pieces. Otherwise the cork looked and felt perfect. Strained debris. Deep amber to orange gold in color. Crystal clear. Nose of soft ripe fruits; apricot, peach and nectarine. Similar flavors in the mouth. Nice acidity. Moderately long finish. I did not get much more than a wisp of botrytis. Not much "raciness". Don't recall earlier notes to know if it had it and it's now muted. Didn't get tropical fruits either. Right on the edge of VG+. Just not enough complexity for my taste. Nonetheless; paired well with the almond torte topped with fresh navel, and "raspberry", oranges that my daughter brought. Very serviceable if not compelling.
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1/9/2024 - Duncan H Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very good indeed! Vigorous and vibrant - perhaps at its peak, but will keep for absolutely ages.
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12/31/2023 - CarpeDiem! Likes this wine: 93 Points
A very well matured Barsac, with the usual aromatic explosion in the mouth, of honey, exotic spices, pineapple, mango, nuts, gingerbread, dried figs and raisin, plums, and a welcome hint of eucalyptus in the long finish. Well balanced and, as expected, a good pairing with our Tarte tatin.
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12/24/2023 - Throughthegrapevine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Maintaining complexity, fruit and acidity. Drink until 2030
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10/20/2023 - liber Likes this wine: 92 Points
3rd of 12, pnp, perfect cork and level, attractive and as noted in January, upside, 20+ years. At least F (17.5).
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9/22/2023 - Duncan H wrote: 93 Points
Excellent
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8/2/2023 - Duncan H wrote: 93 Points
Drank with Francois and then with Brona (couple of weeks later). Fantastic both times. Quite Barsac in character - not too cloying. Plenty of life in it.
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6/24/2023 - Musigny1955 Likes this wine: 93 Points
{Half bottle purchased on release, have probably had this wine > 20 times} Yellow-caramel color, apricots and stone fruit, long length, impeccable finish. Touch of botrytis and enough acidity to keep things fresh. Wonderful.
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5/31/2023 - BVal wrote: 92 Points
Color/App: lovely light/medium yellow gold core; high viscosity. Fabulous aromatics: yellow flowers, honeysuckle, coconut, pineapple and peaches and a drizzle of caramel running through it all. Still a bit of puppy fat on the palate that dazzles with citrus, nectarine and spicy botrytis. Fairly concentrated and very well put together; the best regular Coutet I can remember since the '75. Super long finish and while it could use a touch more acidity, this is fine and aging well. I'll give it another 5+ years to peak. 92 with upside still.
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4/18/2023 - Richard P Howden Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dinner at La Boheme with the Crew (Palo Alto): See Ashish’s note, but perhaps I liked it a bit more. Really gorgeous, I love how sweet the nose is and yet the finish is nicely balanced and not sugary. Delicious.
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4/18/2023 - aagrawal wrote: 92 Points
Dinner with the wine group (La Bohème, Palo Alto): 375mL. Fabulous yellow-golden color; incredible aromatics, floral, vibrant, touch of mint, honeyed; palate is light-medium bodied, elegant, floral, honeyed, apricots, white fruit; finish is medium-plus length with some minerality. Lovely, unique Coutet and Sauternes. Always a unique pleasure this year. 92
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2/12/2023 - RED AND BLACK Likes this wine: 91 Points
Elegant and still in good shape, not the greatest but worth it!
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1/31/2023 - Rupert wrote:
At 67PM: a half from Dan's reserves. Rose gold. A bit of nail varnish, but lively acidity, the sweetness level just right.
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1/16/2023 - liber Likes this wine: 92 Points
2nd of 12, pnp, perfect cork and level, as Thursday's bottle. F (17.5).
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1/12/2023 - liber Likes this wine: 92 Points
1st of 12, pnp, perfect cork and level - quite pale yellow, leggy; tropical fruit, honey, some lime, attractive and fresh; medium, ok length and persistence, not particularly concentrated or complex, dryish for Barsac, some upside, 20+ years. F (17.5)......the excellent 03 perhaps surprisingly is to be preferred.
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12/27/2022 - talbot61 Likes this wine: 90 Points
The greatest sweet wines are more spritely than this one, which has the requisite sweetness but less acidity, but this is still delicious, fully evolved but not at all over-the-hill. Very popular with our guests.
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12/3/2022 - theRealPepe Likes this wine: 93 Points
Whiskey colored 21 years after the vintage. touch of caramel and tropical fruits. Minor presence of acidity as well. Paired with oysters, chicken pate, duck pate and Point Reyes blue cheese, this was a good if not outstanding match with all. Overall found the wine Excellent.
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7/12/2022 - Vinumming & Ahhing Likes this wine: 90 Points
2002 Claret Horizontal (Piccolino, Exchange Square): Fully mature and well structured Barsac. Need to rush for a train distracted me a little but there is a beautiful texture to this as well as that classic blend of acidity and sweetness. On the fruits there is some stone fruit and that touch of spearmint I find in Coutet from time to time. This was from half. Suspect it is at or a whisker beyond its apogee. Great end to the evening.
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7/12/2022 - SimonG wrote: 91 Points
02 Claret @ Piccolino (Piccolino, Liverpool Street Stn, London): Half. Deep, bright salmon pink. Copper with a pinkish hue. Some minerally botrytis on the nose, a touch of apricot, but traditional/classic off dry sweetness with a medicinal and mineral line. I preferred this five years ago when it had more fruit and sweetness and a little more energy. ****
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5/22/2022 - Lordswood wrote: 91 Points
Last tried nearly 5 years ago, this is in a much better place, with more character, more balance and more interest. Getting there! And lovely!
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5/6/2022 - Hanibal Likes this wine: 90 Points
A little too sweet for me
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4/17/2022 - J'agnes Likes this wine: 92 Points
Clean closure. Mid gold and bright. Big botrytis nose. Palate is delightfully balanced with a taut acidity, nice streak of salinity and full golden mouthful of honey, orange pith and cooked pineapple.
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4/15/2022 - ohne_musik wrote: 94 Points
The first whiff of the wine portends great things. The nose is beguiling, with a hint of steely minerality to complement the usual cast of characters - orange marmalade, lime zest, apricot jam and some steeliness. The first sip floods the mouth with a more of those same flavors, but finely tuned - the sugar of cloying marmalade and apricot jam has attenuated into a fragrant Korean citron tea and zingy tartaric acid. There is a wonderful balance of spice & saffron botryitis notes, with fully integrated oak in the form of a luscious pastry cream with just a hint of vanilla. A bracing light bitterness on a very long, saffron-citron infused finish. Very classic Barsac - what it lacks in density and richness, it makes up for in aristocratic finesse. Would have liked to follow it over the course of a few days, but alas the 750 disappeared all too quickly.
Overall, a very good 2001, if not quite at the level of Climens or Suduiraut, drinking very nicely today and for the next couple decades.
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3/4/2022 - aagrawal wrote: 93 Points
Cork in perfect shape. Very light golden, excellent color for its age; high intensity aromatics, orange blossom, honeyed, slight mint; palate is medium-minus bodied, light and elegant mouthfeel due to exceptionally vibrant medium-plus acidity, still quite a youthful sweetness, some bitter citrus like grapefruit in the midpalate, not much mature notes; finish is medium-plus length but could be longer. As I've said before, this is a lighter and more elegant style even within Coutet's style, perhaps unexpected for such a prominent vintage. Exceptionally food friendly, good complexity though not superlatively so, wonderful balance. At this point the Coutet 2001 is aging as slowly as the Yquem 2001, while all other chateau are much more mature at this stage. This is one of my favorites, though perhaps just for my palate and others may appreciate more richness or depth. This will easily age for 2-3 more decades and may transform at some point. 93
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1/28/2022 - Duncan H Likes this wine: 92 Points
Most excellent! Perhaps at its very peak?
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12/28/2021 - talbot61 Likes this wine:
Somewhat oxidized. Dark golden color, low acid, some heaviness. Still a pleasure to drink, with a nutty sweetness, but lacking the acidic balance that would have elevated it (and would have made it a better match with the food).
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12/26/2021 - frenchiecagowine wrote: 88 Points
Brief notes. Nose of pineapple and honey. On the palate, notes of apricot, honey. However, it lacked balance, felt short, very one-dimensional and somewhat bitter. Seemed to have lost some energy. Not a bad wine but expected more for the vintage and the domaine.
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7/23/2021 - Duncan H Likes this wine: 91 Points
Excellent!
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3/6/2021 - J'agnes wrote: 90 Points
Very clean cork on a 375ml bottle. Limpid gold - still very bright. Served without a chill straight from the cellar.
Grapefruit nose denoting botytis - palate is weighty - nice pineapple and barley sugar with tremendous clean length with a serious lemons sherbet kick on the end.
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2/18/2021 - jrh82 wrote: 87 Points
Damn, had some great aromas of baked apricot, caramel and cinnamon on the nose. However unfortunately did not deliver on taste. Some synthetic notes then flat fruit. A shame since the initial aromas were certainly promising.
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2/3/2021 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
{half bottle} The nose is in a great place already; color is still more youthful than middle-age. Great typicity, with some spicy apricot, plenty of mineral, brûlée, etc. Med+ body, excellent acidity. Should hold at this level through the end of the decade, though I think it's quite brilliant already. highly recommended
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12/31/2020 - CarpeDiem! wrote: 89 Points
Typical Barsac, with honey, fig, apricot, nut aromas competing with some vegetable notes of rhubarb, rose and lychies. Overall too sweet and too heavy. Perhaps my tongue is getting less tolerant to such an assault of sugar.
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9/9/2020 - acorelli Likes this wine: 88 Points
Crumbly cork, over-dark, rather tired, but still tasty. From a 375.
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6/26/2020 - Papies wrote: 94 Points
Zoom wine tasting/drinking with Cassidy Dart MW (Zoom): A joy to have this wine at this stage and it is definitely a great result as expected given the vintage. The aromatics and flavour are text book Sauternes, apricot, soft honey, light caramel and noble rot. On the palate it’s its effortless, light on its feet and albeit it has a lot of depth of flavour it is not heavy at all. Very solid and will leave another 20-30 summers. 94
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6/6/2020 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tropical fruit, honey, saffron, boytritis, and oranges on the nose. Nicely balanced and quite complex. What a great wine and outstanding QPR!
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3/4/2020 - becassine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Incredible! No reason to wait longer!! Drink up!
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11/1/2019 - bacchus of knockholt Likes this wine: 92 Points
Gold with a powerful aroma of mushroom and emulsion paint on the nose which I quite liked. Orange marmalade fruit present too which follows through on the fairly intense palate with orange zest, spiciness and lovely mid sweet finish. Wonderful.
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10/11/2019 - DoubleMagnum Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful wine but less sweet than I recall it. I think it's shedding some sweetness and gaining complexity. Orange marmalade, honey and hints of petrol on the nose. Boytritis definitely present as well. I think this is at full maturity at this point and doubt it will evolve further. It feels lighter than three years ago. Time to drink up.
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9/6/2019 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Classic Coutet. Light and delicate yet plenty of pineapple fruit. Lightly sweet. Good length. Completely ready. Coutet doesn’t age forever so better to drink it now while it’s ballerina pretty.
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8/3/2019 - NickA Likes this wine: 91 Points
Rich, deep gold - looks wonderful in the decanter. Nose is indistinct but pleasant. Perfect balance on palate, with sugar, acid, marmalade and a certain high-toned joyfulness. Yum!
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8/1/2019 - logos Likes this wine: 80 Points
375. Fine, delicate, lively, limey nose. Lovely, lilting refined notes in well-balanced palate. Very acid. Should improve
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5/31/2019 - robertek wrote: 93 Points
Last bottle...
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4/30/2019 - Neecies wrote:
Half bottle. Light petroleum notes with marmalade and toasted brioche. Typical Coutet and normally quite welcome but heavy in the company of Baumard Coteaux de Layons.
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4/14/2019 - vide wrote: 91 Points
Beautiful clear burnished gold colour; wonderful nose of marmalade and expensive petroleum; taste = so typically Coutet: a medley of dried fruits, with soft understated fragrant botrytis. As always with Coutet, just a feeling that style has replaced depth, but this is to quibble.
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3/30/2019 - Saint B Likes this wine:
A floral nose of white flowers, and mushrooms. On the palate, tinge of marmalade that blends exquisitely with this sweet nectar!
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3/30/2019 - OenoDrZH Likes this wine: 92 Points
Golden yellow. Notes of ripe botrytis, apricot, pineapples, honeysuckle and white flowers. Rich and elegant on the palate, this is well balanced with hints of acidity. Nothing better than a Sauternes to end our wine dinner.
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3/30/2019 - M.Y. Chong Likes this wine:
Botrytis, apricot, honey, flowers on the nose. Rich on the palate with satisfyingly long finish.
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2/28/2019 - CellarBord Likes this wine: 93 Points
More resolved than my last bottle in 2012. Paired well with Meyer Lemon and vanilla bean boudino. Plenty of years ahead.
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2/24/2019 - jocelyng Likes this wine: 91 Points
Excellent but after tasting the Tour Blanche 2001, it felt light.
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2/6/2019 - Collector1855 wrote: 93 Points
Expressive nose of flowers, honey, botrytis. Good freshness next to the sweetness.
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12/28/2018 - Duncan H Likes this wine: 95 Points
Simply amazing!
Rich orange and marmalade with beautifully balanced acidity. Very full, mouthcoating palate. A blockbuster, but still fine. I'm sure this will last for ages, but no need to wait!
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12/26/2018 - bacchus of knockholt Likes this wine: 89 Points
Pineapple, citrus and orange nose with a complex palate of tropical fruit, spice and that distinct botrytis flavour. Pretty sweet, acidity is moderate but delicious nonetheless.
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11/20/2018 - NapaDoc Likes this wine: 89 Points
Deep yellow color, with coconut and hazelnuts in the nose. This wine is enjoyable, but is definitely losing its acidity, giving it a slightly flabby quality. It retains fruit, but is almost now too sweet, fading as its structure begins to crumble.
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8/31/2018 - drjb Likes this wine: 93 Points
The colour of lemon barley sugar this wine remains elegant with a nose of candied lemons, poached vanilla pears, freshly cut apricots and leatherwood honey. The palate is medium weight yet unctuous and rich with a lovely lightness to the balance. Overall a lovely fine glass of Barsac.
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8/29/2018 - drwine2001 wrote:
Half bottle. Bright, full yellow. Light coconut and creme brûlée, a touch of honey. Elegant feel, moderate sweetness, fine acidity. In a word, lively. Even from this format, it has a long way to go.
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7/4/2018 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 94 Points
From memory: PNP, deep gold, another fine bottle, drink or hold
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6/24/2018 - dougie Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful and going strong.
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6/20/2018 - kenthargis wrote: 88 Points
Solid, had some nice notes. Not terribly unctuous, but quite sweet.
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2/2/2018 - englishmen’s claret Likes this wine: 91 Points
Always big expectations for a 2001 Barsac. It was lovely- notes of apricot, mango and crisp white fruits. Great golden color. It wasn't the best 2001 but I expect this will get better with age. I'd hold on to this for some time.
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2/2/2018 - englishman's claret wrote: 92 Points
Very nice, if a touch of a let-down for the combination of Coutet and 2001. But that may just be its phase in life - let this sit a while longer and I bet it will blossom. It's delightful now, but a bit specious. Ripe, honeyed, tropical, but missing some of that acidic drive and purity one finds in the greats. I do very much like its freshness, though, and that is a major strength that shouldn't be overlooked.
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12/4/2017 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Elegant and delicious. Notes of dried apricots, orange marmalade, mango, candied ginger, and custard. Good balance of acidity and creaminess.
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10/14/2017 - Bobhelge wrote:
Uncles Fine Wine Club’s - Spontaneous wine tasting event at Tords: Simply lovley.
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8/27/2017 - Thejaaysog Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely fresh Coutet, pineapple, mango and orange peel in perfect harmony. Alchohol a bit too present at first, but burnt off. Then lovely creamy and crisp Coutet. Impressive bright gold orange colour.
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7/31/2017 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 94 Points
I'm a big fan of this Sauternes. Just the right amount of sweetness for me -- a light dessert wine. Beautiful complexity, starting with a core of sweet mango and expanding into honey, saffron, candied ginger, and orange zest. It seems impossible not to like this. It's not particularly powerful, but it's elegant and delicious. A real steal.
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7/17/2017 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 92 Points
Wines with Friends; 7/10/2017-7/17/2017 (Pine Lake Trout Club): In a really nice place right now. From a 750 and consumed over two nights. No real change. Amber/gold in color. The nose has apricots and citrus. On the palate, the same. Sweet but not a whole lot. Viscous. Long finish. Very tasty.
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7/8/2017 - robertek wrote: 92 Points
Good solid Sauternes with some nice citrus tones to keep it fresh.
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7/4/2017 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Everything in tune for drinking now. Complex but smooth. Elegant; not a powerhouse. Exceptional value. Nearly perfect for me, except lacking great power.
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6/27/2017 - Lordswood wrote: 90 Points
Difficult for me to rate this in isolation as I recently had a truly awesome De Fargues 2004 which managed to be lighter on its feet and to have more nuance than this, while I was expecting the 2001 vintage to sing louder and clearer. The Coutet is quite well developed, a deepening golden colour; some caramel notes amidst the apricot botrytis flavours. Perhaps acidity is a little lacking for me and it comes over a little ponderous, which I was certainly not expecting from a Coutet. I will continue to drink with enjoyment, and enthusiasm as this is a very good wine. Just not, for me, a great one.
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6/24/2017 - j30 wrote: 90 Points
Much thicker than last time and slightly cloying.
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6/4/2017 - andreel Likes this wine: 94 Points
Exceptional wine. Honey, spice and saffron on the nose, and marmalade, ginger, honey and pineapple on the palate. So rich it's almost smokey. Very pleased with this purchase.
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4/16/2017 - ews3 wrote: 91 Points
This bottle was a little bit too far aged for it's age and was not stored perfectly early in life. quince, white flowers, citrus peel, apricot, brown sugar. nice balance of sugar and acid. long finish.
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4/15/2017 - aagrawal wrote: 92 Points
Epic 2001 Sauternes Horizontal (San Francisco): Tasted single-blind. From a 375. Light golden color; aromatic, floral, orange blossom, honey, mint; palate is light to medium bodied, medium sweetness, medium-plus acidity, some citrus fruit on the palate, nice complexity; medium length finish. 92-93. This strikes me as the Coutet based on my last tastes of this wine. Of all the wines at the tasting, this may be the most unique and versatile in its food pairings.
Day 3: Still a very light golden color; lovely aromatic nose similar to the first day; palate is largely unchanged as well. A unique and satisfying wine.
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4/2/2017 - krister wrote: 95 Points
Great 2001 as usual, super good looking tight concentrated complexity with spices, texture and lenght.
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3/9/2017 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Excellent. Delicious and sophisticated. Thick mango lassi with ginger, orange zest, and honey. Extraordinary value at $29 for a 375ml bottle on KLWines.
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1/21/2017 - SimonG wrote: 93 Points
Dinner at B&A: Blind. Bright gold, lovely sweetness. This is Barsac, and I think it's Coutet. Late 90s, — 98 I think. It's sweet but it has an almost effortless freshness and floatiness to it too. Dangerously drinkable. Lovely. ****
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12/31/2016 - salil wrote: 92 Points
Delicious! This sat in a decanter a few hours and showed wonderfully when served with apricot marmalade, vanilla cream, honey, and plenty of botrytis spice flavours, and more than enough acidity to balance the sweetness and intensity on the palate.
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12/14/2016 - Winetex Likes this wine: 91 Points
Balanced Sauternes but a bit on the lighter side. Reminiscent of a Climens. Everyone enjoyed this.
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10/25/2016 - SMHalps Likes this wine: 91 Points
Have to agree with the notes posted by BurgundyAL and RIESLINGFAN in April 2016. It seemed a little young, especially given the age of the bottle. Drank from a 375. My last remaining bottle, so I won't see how it will age going forward.
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7/11/2016 - RajivAyyangar wrote: 85 Points
Monday Night Blinds (Home (Noe st)): From .375 L
(blind)
Pale gold
Nose: Peach, slight tropical/mango and botrytis (saffron)
Sweetness feels 150 g/L - a bit on the sweet end of dessert wines.
Medium acid - a bit lower than I’d like.
Alcohol feels 13.5% a bit hot (actually 14%)
Conclusions:
Structure and heavy botrytis on the nose suggest Sauternes.
This is on the sweeter/riper end of Sauternes (acid is lower, sugar is higher).
Shot-in-the-dark conclusion: 2005 Sauternes - Rieussec.
Actually: 2001 Coutet from half-bottle.
This is lower acid than I'd expect from ’01.
Aromatically it's in a nice place but lacking acid.
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7/11/2016 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 95 Points
WineFest in Toronto (Mike Grammer); 7/10/2016-7/12/2016 (Mike Grammer's (parents home) in Toronto): Found this one excellent. It had a lot of air and the bottle only had a few pours in it when I got to it. The nose has apricots, brown sugar and some peach. On the palate, this is sweet with enough acidity to cut thru. Slightly oily texture. Clean. The apricots and brown sugar carry over. Quite complex at this point. Certainly in adulthood, but with years left.
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7/9/2016 - DoubleMagnum Likes this wine: 94 Points
WOTN for me. Absolutely delicious.
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4/8/2016 - Rieslingfan wrote:
This is showing younger than most of the 2001 Sauternes/Barsac I have tried to date. The fruit is still in the fresh rather than dried range, in this case mostly peach. There is lots of vanilla richness, but the palate impression is quite lively. Not much in the way of development, despite being from a 375ml. Give it a bunch more time.
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4/6/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Lemon custard, candied orange peel and cling peaches in a vibrant, intensely youthful package. I prefer a slightly more mature Sauternes, so will hold my bottles for another 5-10 years, perhaps opening a 375 earlier.
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3/20/2016 - rocknroller wrote: 92 Points
Monthly Tasting Group: Bordeaux with Some Real Honeys (Victory 44, Mpls, MN): Very small taste, no notes.
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2/14/2016 - jeffreylubowski Likes this wine: 91 Points
Burnt caramel. Very candied. Pineapple. Orange. Rich and sweet, but medium acidity keeps it in check. As always coutet is the real deal. I suppose the only drawback is that these 2001 are so expensive, but damn is the vintage perfect for the stickies.
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2/14/2016 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
Pineapple, candied orange rind and apricots coated with vanilla custard and honey create the aromatics. There is a vibrancy to the fruit that keeps it uplifting from start to finish, making this the perfect sweet treat. This is drinking really at 15 years of age.
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1/1/2016 - Phenol73 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Signature apricot, honey and burnt sugar, and a faint background of hazelnut and clay. Unctuous palate, could arguably use a touch more acidity. Nice lingering finish. Paired with fois gras. Lovely.
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11/29/2015 - SimonS wrote: 90 Points
Drinking nicely now. Smooth and reasonably complex. For my taste, I'd prefer a bit more acidity against the sugar.
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11/28/2015 - Dave Canada wrote: 92 Points
The Fourteenth Stonefields Dinner (Guelph, Ontario, Canada): The nose was dominated by fresh cut mint, lemon, dried apricot and honey.
The palate was quite viscous with tropical fruits, white plum, spice and white pepper. Could us a touch more acid in my mind as it is just so big and dense.
Finish was medium with moderate complexity
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11/28/2015 - Cote d'Or wrote:
Tasted over 1 hr and day 2, from 375mL
-translucent med gold
-moderately expressive warm apricot butter caramel
-barely med acidity, med- weight with unctuous texture, med sweetness, OK complexity on mid-palate but long caramel butterscotch finish
-just a bit less acidity than ideal but still very good and very early in its long drinking window, great pair for roquefort
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11/12/2015 - Paul D wrote:
Chateau Palmer Dinner (La Trompette, Chiswick): No formal note, but this was delicious with stone fruit, touch of marmalade, saffron and ginger, lovely vibrant acids, long finish.
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11/12/2015 - SimonG wrote: 93 Points
Ian A's Palmer @ Trompette (La Trompette, London): Gorgeous nose. Light to mid gold. Fragrant, a good whiff of botrytis but a sweet and intense rather than medicinal sense. Long and lovely. Curiously destroyed by the bergamot tart. ****+
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11/1/2015 - schellbe wrote: 93 Points
Nice Sauternes. used at WSD tasting last fall.
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8/30/2015 - RayOB wrote: 93 Points
Drank at Home
Incredible length that just keeps giving. Wonderful stuff.
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8/8/2015 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Annual Wine Group Summer Event - BBQ Brisket at Siggy's (Siggy & Jenny's Place, Mpls, MN): Medium plus gold color. PNP, drank 1 glass over 20 minutes. Showing very nicely, with a bright nose full of ripe apricot, peaches and cream, honey and white florals, and notes of spice. The palate is nicely balanced, apricot, honey, medium plus body, ripe peach, pineapple, and touch of tangerine, spiced and long on the finish.
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8/8/2015 - efeldhake@yahoo.com Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep straw in color with a glint of gold. Nose of apricots and chalk. Tastes of parfait with peaches, lanolin, and minerals. Light and young. Not as complex as expected, but went nicely with Turkish rice pudding.
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2/22/2015 - SLIMES Likes this wine:
I'm relatively new to dessert wines but this seemed a little alcoholic for my taste and I preferred the Rustenberg straw-wine.
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1/8/2015 - j30 wrote: 90 Points
Upfront nose of honey, preserved (sugared) fruit and slightly savory note. Relatively refreshing and light palate with a light, short finish. Quite good but not complex nor "big".
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1/1/2015 - up4wine wrote: 89 Points
I don't consider myself very knowledgeable with regard to Sauternes, but I must say I was not as impressed with this older bottle as I had hoped to be, based on the vintage rating. The color was of nice dark honey, consistent with 13 years of rest. The nose was pleasant, but saw little intonation as it was opening in the glass. I paired it with a less salty Gorgonzola than I usually use, and this may have been a poor choice for this bottle. On net, it was very good, but not dazzling.
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12/28/2014 - JBVino wrote:
ok. not sure whether I expected more as I begin to taste through some of my 01s but thought this was pleasant but lacked the acidity to provide extra verve and life to the wine. flavor profile was ok but again nothing extraordinary.
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12/17/2014 - PC73 wrote: 92 Points
Lovely. Sweetness but without the fat.
Great acidity which gives lightness.
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12/9/2014 - Wine Canuck wrote: 94 Points
Just another awesome showing here. Great producer, great vintage. The balance is impeccable. Nose is of marzipan, honey, fresh orange peel and a medium plus level of botrytis via some forest undergrowth notes. Palate is amazingly balanced, not at all cloying. The gorgeous fresh citrus notes dance across the palate. The Acid, Residual Sugar, Viscosity and Botrytis are all at the perfect levels to my palate. Little to no oak noted. Finish is long.
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12/6/2014 - Rollerball wrote: 94 Points
Pure joy to swish this with no hurry to swallow. A fine-tuned dessert broth of well-spiced chilled-peach. May have set the record for fastest disappearing Sauterne 750--we couldn't keep our hands off it. A lot of pleasure in this bottle.
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10/22/2014 - heythatslife wrote: 93 Points
Margaux Dinner, Harvard Fly Club: Deep gold. Lots of interesting things going on aromatically; petrol, botrytis spices, smoke, honey, vanilla, and tropical fruits galore. Some people might not like the smoky aspect but I dig it. Good volume and balance. Biscuity, spicy finish at medium+ length.
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3/3/2014 - TheEngineer Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lighter than most other 2001's but the pure tropical nose is fab
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1/18/2014 - drwine2001 wrote:
Advanced color and aromatics-volatile, varnish qualities. Not as advanced in the mouth, but thin. We tasted this blind, and I was surprised and disappointed when the label was revealed. Although I have not tasted this before, it's hard to imagine that something was not awry here. Pretty weird showing.
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1/18/2014 - aagrawal wrote: 92 Points
Climens Vertical (Pasion, San Francisco, CA): From a 375. Mint, eucalyptus, lighter styled; medium to light bodied, fresh, good food wine; finish is medium length. I initially tasted this blind and was guessing about 10 year old lighter bodied Sauternes, like Filhot. 90-91
Update: This really balanced out nicely after 30-60 minutes of air. The green notes integrated well, and the palate fleshed out a bit. An interesting wine that is wonderful to drink, but not superlative in its complexity especially for the 01 vintage. 91-92
1/20/14: (48 hours)- nose has fleshed out a bit with apricots, slight varnish continues; palate has refreshing acidity, good flavors, but not better than on Day 1. A little thin throughout. A good pairing with food, but not much more, unfortunately. 90-91
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1/11/2014 - robertek wrote: 92 Points
Still not the wow wine but a good solid Barsac.
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12/11/2013 - amateurwino wrote:
Showing well and delicious at this point. Good balancing acidity; has a long life ahead of it.
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12/7/2013 - DonDon Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking very beautifully now. Perfect balance. Absolutely wonderful
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12/2/2013 - robertek wrote: 91 Points
Had expected more form this bottle - stilll a very good wine. Some way off from the big ones though... Will keep for ages and improve with the years as this was quite tight at the moment.
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11/6/2013 - Rieslingfan Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow is this ever delicious. It's loaded with spice, fruit & vanilla cream, with great palate presence and fantastic length. It's a fantastic drinking experience now, but there's also more than a little upside for the patient.
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10/14/2013 - Wine Canuck wrote: 94 Points
What a fantastic showing for this Sauternes! Nose blasts spicy botrytis, with loads of spicy tangerine and lemon candy fruit. Palate is everything you could want, an excellent balance of sweetness, viscosity, and acid. Finish is quite long and gives great lift on the Moroccan spiced apricot finish.
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10/5/2013 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
BBQ Brisket with Big Reds (Siggy & Jenny's Place, Mpls, MN): Medium dark gold color. PNP, drank 1 glass over 20-30 minutes. In a word, balanced. This was drinking perfectly, balanced, lovely with a nose of ripe peaches, pineapple, apricot, honey, white flowers, and spice. The palate shows good body, rich and mouth coating, with ripe peach, pineapple, pear, botrytis, and lovely purity. Nice long finish. 93+pts.
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8/18/2013 - chbeaumont wrote: 90 Points
Mid gold, advanced colour; muted, has a certain style but low key; sweet, acidity gives the drive, currently understated. A quiet phase? Previous bottle had more going for it.
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5/19/2013 - Rollerball wrote: 91 Points
A sticky fragrance. Botrytisy-lemon-vanilla air freshener. Nice body and balance on the marzipan midpalate. Finishes with candied diesel pineapple.
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2/18/2013 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Had some aromas of lanolin and tropical fruits. It was rich and beautifully proportioned, tasting of brulee and citrus. Length of flavour was most excellent.
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1/29/2013 - aagrawal wrote: 92 Points
2001 Sauternes Horizontal (Pasion in San Francisco, CA): From a 750. Color is deep yellow transitioning to golden; nose shows great honey aromatics, some fresher citrus fruit, intense guava; palate has explosive tropical fruit, pineapple, guava, medium bodied with more refreshing balance than concentration, good acidity to balance the sweetness but not over-the-top acidity that produces that effervescent effect, slightly thinner midpalate; finish is medium length. This is a solidly made barsac that still drinks quite young but is enjoyable now. Many see this as a disappointment for the vintage compared to other chateaux, but I see its role as different. Most 2001s are very concentrated wines that stand alone, but Coutet is always a wine that pairs well with food due to its elegance. This wine may never reach the heights or the ridiculous complexity of Suduiraut/Fargues/Yquem, but it provides much pleasure now and in the next 2-3 decades with a special meal. This is also an ideal aperitif wine. 91-93
Update day 2: Holds up nicely with excellent complexity to accompany its light body. Such a great wine to sip with food.
Update day 4: Integrated nose with more spicy fruit marmalades instead of crisper fresher fruit like on day 1. Otherwise very similar.
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12/13/2012 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Monthly Tasting Group LTB 2012-10; Mature Sauternes (By VD): A beautiful and fresh bouquet with a lot of honey. Same on the palate. Tangerine as well. Good acidity. Still a bit locked. A beautiful and elegant wine.
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12/1/2012 - Alex H wrote: 87 Points
Delicious rich sweet ripe apricots drizzled with honeysuckle concentrate and vanilla bean. Slight almondy aftertaste. Creamy Barsac with biscuit waffle. Actually drinking ready after half hour decant.
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11/30/2012 - Paul S wrote: 92 Points
Brian's Birthday Dinner (Buono Restaurant, Singapore): A very nice Coutet, but this does not seem to have moved much from when I had it 2 years ago. The nose had a little smoky, rubbery twang that made E guess it was a Coutet, along with sweet scents of dried apricots and more tropical tones of preserved mangoes and candied ginger. Pretty nice. I liked the palate too. Very fresh, brilliantly delineated, this was very impressive for a Coutet, with a really good depth and moreishness to flavours of dried apricots, sweet lemons and spice to go along with the wonderfully integrated acidity of the vintage. It had a nice, rich finish too, with treacle notes sprinkled with some spice and a handful of roasted nut flavours. Very good, but just a bit lacking in complexity and interest at the moment. This should be really nice in ten years or so though, and it certainly has the bones to age well into its third, fourth or even older decades.
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9/14/2012 - CellarBord wrote: 92 Points
My second favorite of the night to the 2007 Coutet. Very nice balance. Full bodied with more acidity and depth than the 2001 Doisy Vedrines.
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8/8/2012 - wineismylife wrote: 92 Points
Dallas 2nd Wednesday Group - August 2012 - In Memory of David White (Suze, Dallas, Texas): WIML92
Tasted non blind. Opened and served immediately. Served from 375ml.
Light gold color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of hazelnut, honeysuckle and lychee. Flavors of lychee, light honey notes, a bit of nuts and some minerals on the finish. Medium to bright acidity, medium to full bodied. Drink or hold.
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7/11/2012 - St Paul wrote: 92 Points
Lovely fresh Barsac. Sure it is a bit light weight but lovely nevertheless. Good length. This is a wine one can drink big glasses of.
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7/6/2012 - Tavastgatan wrote: 93 Points
From 75 cl. Everyone around the table agees that this is a very fine bottle of Barsac. This is fine suff with some maturity and adequate acidity, light on its feet and good botrytis. 2001 is indeed a very good vintage.
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4/14/2012 - devraj wrote: 91 Points
Light gold color. Aromatic and spicy botrytis aromas of lemon curd, vanilla creme brulee and ripe apricots on the nose. A melange of sweet apricot, peach and orange marmalade, all butressed with good acidity keep the palate fresh and lively.
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4/12/2012 - kidsmurf2000 wrote: 92 Points
Very clean and well balanced... but missing complexity... why do different from the last bottle?
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4/10/2012 - jlgnml wrote:
IWFSC 774th Dinner (Goosefoot, Chicago IL): Soft, velvety, tropical fruit, very integrated, wait 5 more years, long finish and not overly sweet.
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4/6/2012 - Atreyu wrote: 92 Points
Great bottle, high acid, precise.
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4/2/2012 - ginfizz wrote: 90 Points
Disappointing for a 2001...must hold longer.
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3/19/2012 - JesperR wrote: 82 Points
From 1/2 bottle. Judging from other notes, this wasn't a good showing at all. Nice aromatics and quite solid length, but lacking vigour and tension; quite dull.
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3/10/2012 - steffenpelz wrote:
Had this with homemade Creme Brulee for dessert on Friday night. Lovely creamy texture, lemon custard and vanilla flavors. Good structure and pleasure to drink. Minor nitpick is that the acidity seems a tad low in this wine, but that's something age may take care of as the fruit and sugars recede with age.
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2/4/2012 - kidsmurf2000 wrote: 97 Points
An almost perfect Sauternes. Well within its drinking window, those who love Sauternes could do worse than enjoying this right now. Goes down very easily, with a complex nose of classic rotted grapes. Excellent!
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12/18/2011 - Rollerball wrote: 94 Points
Spicy light strawberry and apricot nectar, red pepper flakes and dark caramel chew, the highest tones of mint; then buttered bagel, lime, and white truffles, honey and beeswax, and finally faint maraschino gasoline. Beautiful body of infinitesimal lubricating globules. Served slightly chilled.
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8/23/2011 - Rupert wrote:
Eclectic mixture tasted blind (Medlar, Chelsea, London): Sweet, coconutty, lush and lively - I love Sauternes at around this age.
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8/23/2011 - SimonG wrote:
Ian S's Blind at The Medlar (The Medlar, London): Quite a full mid gold. Ripe, opulent, coconut nose. Sweet, quite rich but with good freshness. Lovely. ****
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8/19/2011 - ginfizz wrote: 92 Points
Light lemon yellow, in a half bottle perfectly stored since release, still 5-10 years away from maturity. Pear, yellow apple, pear eau de vie, vanilla, touch of citrus acidity. Medium sweet, but still disjointed. Needs time.
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8/4/2011 - hawkeye47 Likes this wine: 93 Points
excellent botrytis here and the acidity cuts through the sweetness with precision. Nose shows clover honey, citrus, and possibly pear/apple tones. It was drinking beautifully from a 750, but time will help this wine quite a bit still - 7-10 more years shoud do it.
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7/19/2011 - MRichman wrote:
Cos d'Estournel vertical (Morton's NYC): Sweet and big with bubble gum and botrytis. Needs some age. Huge
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6/30/2011 - robertek wrote: 94 Points
This is a grat wine with loads of all the things you find on the nose in a classic Barsac. I've found the Coutet stick out with it's lemon notes though and the 2001 even more so. It is a perfectly balanced on the palate with the acidity and crispness and a long lingering tiaste. Bravo.
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6/22/2011 - CellarBord wrote: 92 Points
Very nice. However, should improve with more age.
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4/16/2011 - beachbum wrote: 94 Points
huge luciious mouthfeel, slight maturity, pineapple and some caramel, is hitting a beautiful stride out of 750, everyone drank it very quickly, this was good!
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3/14/2011 - envirovino wrote: 90 Points
light to med gold, apricots, honey, orange zest - most of the stuff one expects. still a little dense, not terribly complex. kind of one-d. nice, maybe still mellowing out.
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2/20/2011 - darvid wrote:
From 375ml. Although the usual suspects (baked apple, spiced pear, pineapple, creamed cantaloupe) are manifest, the presentation is subdued, closed in on itself, compacted. Unfolds a little in 24 hours, with acid and spice more prominent. Potentially excellent, this is very young and needs at least ten more years to express what it's capable of. Today, the contrast with the exuberance of '01 d'Yquem could hardly be more dramatic.
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12/31/2010 - KeyMaster Likes this wine: 92 Points
Réveillon du jour de l'an 2010 (St-Nicolas): Encore trop jeune mais déjà très bien balancé.
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12/19/2010 - Bordeauxman wrote: 87 Points
Deep golden color. I'm not sure if it was me or if it was this bottle of wine, but it performed well below my expectations. Nose of ripe mango & sweet honeysuckle, but a rather weak taste of honey, bit of citrus and mango.
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12/17/2010 - KenK wrote: 92 Points
Naples Annual Boys Lunch: Good nose showing nice bright lighter more nuanced peach and apricot.
Rich sweet dense, quite lush. 92 Some chemical quality on finish, hold it back.
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11/30/2010 - blanquito wrote: 93 Points
I opened this a while back, found it a bit dull, and froze the last third until tonight... and via the freeze-thaw, this Barsac has come to life! A gorgeously pure and penetrating bouquet of uber-ripe pears, orange marmalade and vanilla bean creme brulee greets the nostrils. There’s terrific sweetness and weight, but it's wonderfully fresh and fruity to go with its unctuousness. Still young, this clearly is outstanding, but it needs more time (or an aggressive decanting) to show its true potential.
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11/19/2010 - Paul S wrote: 92 Points
Lunch at Alba (Restaurant Alba, Keong Saik Road): Very yummy. Perhaps less layered and complex than expected for a 2001, but nevertheless a delicious wine to end the meal with. The nose was classic Sauternais. Honey, nectar, apricot jam, preserved peaches, dried longans, along with a little rubbery overtone. Palate was a little less developed, but still nice. Some lychee creme, peaches and apricots, more honeyed tones, all wrapped in that just superb 2001 balance that kept the wine lithe and lively from attack to finish. I thought it was a little on the thin side for a 2001 Barsac at first, but to my surprise, it actually stood up to a rich chocolate lava cake! It was just the balance of the wine that kept it seeming so light I think. There certainly was some substance here. A very nice wine.
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8/21/2010 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Splendid wine from an outrageously good vintage. Emits the barest whiff of honey and lavender. It is round with fabulous precision. Should live for decades.
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7/18/2010 - gsquireh wrote: 92 Points
Last two bottles that I have drank of this wine were a 180 degrees from the first that I had in 2008. All the hallmarks of an excellent Sauternes: armomatically pleasant, rich, sweet but balanced acidity to provide a fresh apricot and pear flavor that lingers memorably.
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5/18/2010 - MRichman wrote:
1990 Left Bank Bordeaux Horizontal: Very strong and full bodied with bright tropical fruit and a long finish. Will live a long long time. Very nice.
A-
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4/28/2010 - G_Talbot wrote:
WSET Level 3; 4/7/2010-7/21/2010 (London): WSET Systematic Approach - Group
Appearance: clear, deep, gold, legs.
Nose: clean, pronounced, developing, dried fruit, tropical fruit.
Palate: sweet - luscious, high acidity, medium alcohol (14%), full body, pronounced flavour intensity, dried apricot, mango, long length.
Conclusions: very good - outstanding, ready to drink, but can develop further.
Quoted Price: £40.00
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4/28/2010 - Badamf wrote: 92 Points
Appearance: Clear, Deep intensity, golden, legs
Nose: Clean, pronounced intensity, developing, marmalade, vanilla
Palate: Sweet, medium+ acidity, medium alc, medium+ body, pronounced intensity, amazing wine.
Overall: Quality - Outstanding, Premium price, ready to drink but can develop further
£40
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12/8/2009 - David J Cooper wrote:
Medium yellow. Great sweet lemon nose. Very sweet with a bit of bothrytis. Really nice citrus flavours combined with a balanced sweet finish. There is a lot of nice acid to finish off this great Barsac. I think Coutet is quickly becoming my favorite Sauternes/Barsac.
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10/18/2009 - Saint Stephen wrote: flawed
Not terrible, but group agreed slightly corked.
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10/1/2009 - Biggsy wrote: 93 Points
Deep glossy, golden colour. Quite a light fresh nose; apricots, botrytis, citrus and zingy pineapple. The unctuous, rich full body is balanced well with the lively acidity. Lovely complexity of flavour. Powerfully concentrated palate of orange marmalade, apricot, vanilla brulee and maple syrup. Intense, sweet, long and lingering. Very good.
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2/11/2009 - winelovr2001 wrote: 92 Points
Citrus, toasted oak, lemon, and a long finish. Lacks the acid to be super long lived, but still very enjoyable.
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12/9/2008 - gsquireh wrote: 78 Points
Where was the armomatic pleasure? More than slightly off. No peach or honeysuckle here. Burnt wood at best.
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9/26/2008 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Orange peel, botrytis, honey, tropical sweet fruits and citrus as well. A very rich and complex wine with a long future.
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4/5/2008 - dbg wrote:
Outstanding balance, sweetness, botrytis, depth, finish
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12/25/2007 - Danny Joe wrote: 92 Points
Honey colored and honey notes. Perfect way to end Christmas dinner.
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11/22/2007 - stanford88 wrote: 91 Points
wonderful nose, short finish compared to the first growths but very enjoyable experience. Crisp, caramel nose. Loved it, esp. the price point
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9/22/2007 - wineismylife wrote: 91 Points
WIML91. Decent Barsac but I would have expected more from this heralded vintage. So far my least favorite from the vintage. Continue to hold is my recommendation.
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8/9/2007 - brooklynguy wrote: 85 Points
Nice nose of orange peel, pound cake, and later on caramel. Medium body, nice palate that combined toffee and caramel with citrus oils, but this wine was difficult to drink, even after a great dinner with dessert, because it has no acidity to speak of. Off balance. Many people didn't finish their glass, I noticed. Too sweet without the balance.
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3/21/2007 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
A more serious and tight effort than the rich and open 2003. This one has better acidity and a longer future IMHO. 93+ pts.
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3/18/2007 - GreatLibations wrote: 90 Points
A beautiful golden yellow color with aromas of sweet jet fuel. Full bodied and well layered. Rich wth abundant tropicals, exotics, and citrus. The acidity is on the light side for a nice balance and early consumption. Drink or hold.
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2/9/2007 - Paul D wrote: 91 Points
From half bottle. Medium gold. Intense, quite honeyed nose, floral, sweet and slightly spicy. Good concentration on palate, but elegant too. Candied stone fruit, floral notes and lovely crisp acidity on a very good length finish. Lovely!
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10/1/2006 - dwandrus wrote: 91 Points
Appealing Nose of Mango, Bananna, Apricot. Attack was a liitle sluggish to reveal the citric flavor, but soft and round. Warm mouthfeel. Develpoment of the flavors of apple, apricot, and lemon evolved for about 30 seconds. Good, but lacked the integration and finesse I had hoped for.
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4/27/2006 - Saint Stephen wrote: 89 Points
On this night, rather shy and reserved. I have liked this slightly more in previous tastings. Botrytis and butter, good not great mouthfeel, a bit hollow on the midpalate and finish. Still very nice.
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3/5/2006 - Russ wrote: 90 Points
A pale golden color. This Barsac has a nice sweet lemon flavor. The lemon disappears quickly however and the finish ends with a very sweet pop. This is a very enjoyable desert wine.
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3/4/2006 - carlwhat wrote: 93 Points
i'm not getting any younger so drink what i have... a tad cloying but very tasty none-the-less... little wierd on the finish in the back palate, but yet quite enjoyable... probably better in a few years...
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11/6/2005 - ChillyWino wrote:
Light gold color. Lots of tropical and citris fruits on the nose. A failry thick wine with a nice finish. I'm going to let the rest of them sleep as I think this will evolve nicely.
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9/9/2005 - Saint Stephen wrote: 92 Points
Very nice - Don't have tons of 01 Sauternes/Barsac experience to compare to, but I clearly thought the La Tour Blanche was a richer, more interesting drink. The Coutet is definitely excellent however.
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5/23/2005 - andrewstevenson.com wrote: 91 Points
The Wine Society: 1855 - Celebrating the Bordeaux Classifications (Lancaster): Lemony pale gold. Quite a light nose - very fresh with a physalis perfume. Much higher acidity than the 2003 Exhibition Sauternes from the Wine Society and the 2001 Doisy Védrines. This is very elegant indeed. Almost a bit too refined. Very pure. Hugely clean, especially afterwards, and really refreshing. Very Good Indeed.
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3/12/2005 - jpan wrote:
Rich yellow golden hue, clear at the edge; Nose inaccessible and subdued upon opening - after several days in the bottle, vanilla, tropical fruit reveals itself on the nose; sweet custardy flavor with lemon filling, slathers the tongue, a long finish with the rich body balancing the understated tart acidity. Never cloying.
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5/26/2004 - Vino Me wrote: 93 Points
This was a nice Sauternes/Barsac but I just thought it was young and rough around the edges. Rich yellow color. Notes of apricot, almond and nutmeg with a slightly spicy finish. Full bodied and textural. Needs significant time in my opinion. Not really my style of Sauternes but for those with a preference for fuller and spicier dessert wines it will be up your alley. 92-94+ points. Closer to the low end now.
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