Freddy R. Troya

9.3

Opalie de Château Coutet – 2023
Bordeaux Blanc Sec AOC – Barsac, Bordeaux, France 🇫🇷

Overview
From the legendary Château Coutet in Barsac, better known for its Sauternes-style sweet wines, comes this rare dry white. Crafted from 93% Sauvignon Blanc and 7% Sémillon, Opalie highlights Coutet’s limestone terroir and precision winemaking. A wine of elegance and aromatic complexity.

Aromas & Flavors
Yellow plum, white peach, and stony orchard fruit, lifted by citrus zest and a delicate floral note. A subtle smoky-mineral edge underscores its depth.

Mouthfeel
Crisp, bright, and aromatic with well-balanced acidity. Medium-bodied yet lively, finishing with a saline freshness that keeps it engaging sip after sip.

Food Pairings
Sole meunière, oysters, scallop carpaccio, Roast chicken with herbs, goat cheese tart, Asparagus risotto, Mediterranean mezze.

Verdict
A vivid, terroir-driven Bordeaux Blanc that offers both energy and refinement. Bordeaux dry whites often fly under the radar, Opalie is a fine reminder of their potential.

Did You Know?
Opalie is produced in very small quantities (just a few thousand bottles annually) and showcases the same vineyard plots used for Château Coutet’s Sauternes, but harvested early to preserve freshness instead of allowing botrytis. — 15 hours ago

Martinez

9.0

Fantastic Claret by the Beaulieu, owners of Chateau Coutet in St. Emilion. From organically farmed vines. Quite complex nose. Juicy red fruit and hints of rose petal, citrus zest. Light bodied, fresh, dry on the palate. Good acidity. Great value — 4 years ago

Maciej Kurka

9.0

Not as deep as Coutet but the flavors were solid. — 8 years ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.1

Medium light lemon gold , quite young looking . Aromatic apricot , white flowers , saffron , honey and citrus peel . On the palate quite rich with barley sugar , saffron , lemon peel , apricot , decent acidity , and ok length with apricot and honied lemon peel finish . Not overly complex but well balanced , with ok acidity , drinking perfectly now . Now and over the next 10 years — a month ago

Kland Aida

8.9

A good wine but not as good as some other St. Emillion that I’ve had. Dry but less tannic. — a month ago

Severn G

9.2

Quite consistent with my notes from ~6 months ago:

Nose has over-ripe apricot, almond oil, marzipan, meringue cookie and cold butter.
Palate has warmed apricot pie with extra flakey, buttery crust, sweet sand, white flower honey and mango.

Admittedly I love Sauternes and have many bottles, yet it's a rarity on opening and posting to the Community. We paired this bottle with a hard, smoked goat cheese from a local, Hudson valley producer, a solid match of sweet and salty. — 6 years ago

Dave

9.1

Cocoa powder gets you on the nose, but this merlot-dominant wine presents a nice array of red and dark fruit. Thyme? Light chalk and spice. Juicy acidity, tannins are tamed. Not the worst thing you could drink on a Monday.
Listening to Guided By Voices. — 2 months ago

William Douglas

9.7

3/7/9.5 out of 100 = 97
Syrupy viscosity with a great nose. Enjoyed with toast and four gras as an appetiser. Definitely the right way to enjoy. — 3 years ago

Bill Bishop

9.5

Perfectly aged 1961 Coutet. Nice apricot and honey in nose and on the palate. Sweet finish. Couldn't get much better. Yummy! — 6 years ago

Maciej Kurka

9.2

More heavy-handed than Chateau Coutet but '03s rock and this still shines — 8 years ago