Pale to medium lemon-gold colored, the 2018 Coutet has super intense, well-delineated notions of warm pineapple, green guava and baked pineapple with hints of mandarin peel, gingerbread, orange blossoms and lime leaves. The palate is alive with energetic tropical fruit and exotic spice notes with a lovely satiny texture and fantastic freshness, finishing with epic length.

Medium straw-gold, this is darker than usual in colour. The nose shows robust peach and apricot aromas with just a trace of honey. Despite the modest alcohol, this seems quite rich and unctuous, with no lack of botrytis. There's weight without heaviness and an enticing creaminess. The fruit is certainly attractive but the acidity is less than optimal so it does lack some length. Nonetheless, it's holding up well with good concentration on the finish, which shows some ripe citrus flavours as well as peach. Organic.

70% Sémillon, 25% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Muscadelle, yield 6 hl/ha. 50% new oak. RS 135 g/l, pH 3.92. Barrel sample. Mid gold, cloudy. Orange and apricot suggest a high level of botrytis. Spicy, full-flavoured with those fruits and a touch of barley sugar. A slight grip in the texture. Bold and spicy and just enough freshness to balance. (JH)

A tad simple and sugary. Not refreshing! Golden syrup. But not dull. (JR)