Chateau Coutet

The Château Coutet wine estate is located in Barsac, a part of the French territory particularly favorable to viticulture. Here, in fact, the waters of the Ciron river join those of the Garonne creating a special microclimate for the ripening of the grapes. The influence of the ocean and the summer fogs cause a thermal shock and the humidity of the morning, replaced by the heat of the afternoon, contributes to concentrating the sugars in the grapes. Furthermore, the territory of Barsac, and of Château Coutet in particular, is of a calcareous-clayey type which favors water retention, while the cold soil slows down maturation. All this contributes to making golden and pure wines. The main vines of the estate are sémillon, sauvignon blanc and muscadelle; these, expertly worked, give life to the company's flagship wines such as the Chartreuse de Coutet, the Cuvée Madame de Château Coute or the Sauternes - 1er Cru Barsac. The estate can boast a long history, told through the splendid buildings that house it. In fact, in the 13th century it was a military fortress of which it still retains the typical medieval structure with crenellated towers; in the following centuries the buildings were modified and expanded with the construction of other towers, a fortified house and a church. The winemaking activity began as early as the mid-1600s when Charles Le Guérin began cultivating vineyards with the "Sauternes" denomination. The business remained in the family until the end of the 1700s. Thomas Jefferson himself, who would later become president of the United States, traveled extensively in France and in his writings celebrated Château Coutet as the best "Sauternes of Barsac". Over the centuries, the property followed the vicissitudes of the long and troubled French history, passing from family to family, each of which brought innovations in the cultivation of the vineyards. Since 1977 the estate has been under the ownership of the Baly family who took care of it until 1994 when they signed a commercial agreement with the Baron Philippe de Rothschild company. In 2010 the company began a new challenge with the production of a dry white wine, Opalie de Château Coutet, which later became part of the top 100 of the most prized wines in the world. The cellar is organically run .