1988 Coutet
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Tasting notes
The 1988 Coutet has a much better nose than the 1983 or 1985 with tangerine, yellow plum and light adhesive scents. This has a spring in its step. The palate is fresh on the entry with good weight, a fine bead of acidity, and marmalade mingling with tangerine and ginger, fanning out nicely toward the finish. This is the best bottle of the 1988 Coutet I have encountered, though do not approach it with sky-high expectations. Tasted from an ex-château bottle served at the estate.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
The 1988 Coutet actually shows better than the bottle I tasted at the estate back in 2010. Quite pale in colour for this vintage, it has a quite attacking bouquet of dried honey, fig and quince, just a hint of barley sugar in the background. The palate is lightly spiced with a dab of ginger on the entry, expressing impressive weight in the mouth with Coutet’s trademark acidity lending tension all the way through to the finish.
The lighter-bodied, drier 1988 is less weighty than the 1989, with attractive, spicy, vanillin, citrus scents, medium body, and an earthy note that kept my score from going higher.
The lighter-bodied, drier 1988 is less weighty than the 1989, with attractive, spicy, vanillin, citrus scents, medium body, and an earthy note that kept my score from going higher. Wine Advocate.April, 1995
About the producer
Classified as a First Growth in 1855, this Barsac property has a history stretching back to the 14th century. Today it has 38.5 hectares of vineyard, producing brilliant sweet wines cut by taut acidity. In certain years, it produces Cuvée Madame, pure botrytised Semillon from its oldest vines.