Coutet’s 400-year history
from 1601 to the present
Very ancient remains, wild tulips and Eastern Gladiolus left by the Romans, and the former name of the place, “Domaine de Francs”, are so many proves that it was already occupied during the Roman era.
In the XVth century, Sieur François Coutet gave the estate its current name. In 1601, the vineyard became property of the mayor of Libourne, Thomas d’Augereau, who was married to Marie David.
Handed down from generation to generation, Coutet has been intimately related to the David Beaulieu family for at least 400 years.
Its inhabitants have always produced a great Saint-Émilion wine. In 1874, Édouard Féret, in his Classification des vins (Classification of wines), made the following remark:
“The Coutet estate is situated on one of the hillsides of Saint-Émilion, in a fortunate position, overlooking the Dordogne valley with picturesque sites and a land which is highly favourable to the vine. The vineyard consists of 9 ha that spread partly over the plateau, partly over the southwest hillside. This beautiful situation can but bring about mellow wines remarkable with their lasting bouquet.”
Today
Three generations of the David Beaulieu family are currently living on the property. Château Coutet is still run by Alain, manager and winemaker, and his brother Xavier.
The following generation – which is the 14th of the family living at Coutet – is also involved in the company. Adrien is in charge of sales while Matthieu, Mathilde and Raphaëlle are actively engaged in the different activities of the vineyard.
Being free from any trace of chemical activities, Coutet’s land is currently being studied by various scientific bodies. In each season, the development of a distinctive flora and fauna raises many questions. The Mediterranean belt’s microclimate and the presence of tritons and shrimps attract numerous visitors, who are curious and wish to know more about them.
The estate, looking to the future and to the new, green technologies, makes its land available to research laboratories. The agronomy school of Bordeaux has installed temperature sensors and analyses the microbacteriological life developing there.
The Vitirover company (http://www.vitirover.com/en/) uses Coutet’s vineyard as a study site to develop its solar-powered robot.
Château Coutet has always been opening its doors to the public. Since 2013, the David Beaulieu family has wished to develop and organise its wine tourism offer in order to greet its visitors with the warmest welcome. The family, having grown and living on the property, is always pleased to share its history and anecdotes, its passion for nature and its vines, and thus pass on its knowledge of the terroir and offer visitors the chance to taste its wine.
Given the richness that its 400-year long history on the estate brings to the family, developing wine tourism seems now an obvious move.
A reception hall is currently under-going a major refurbishment in order to receive seminars, corporate & association events, weddings, birthday parties and organise wine-tasting and wine-making workshops.
This new activity takes place in a family context and a dynamic, traditional and friendly atmosphere.
And Tomorrow?
By the year 2015, Château Coutet will most probably start using draught horses again to work in part of the vineyard. The family company still has some fallow land, which will soon be dedicated to the horses. After 30 years of tractor ploughing, the combination of horse ploughing and robotised grass cover management seems an obvious move. Thus, the soils will be less compacted and the work will be more environment-friendly and respectful of the mechanical health of the vines. (Experimental plots specially worked and vinified).
The château staff is being restructured, with two new members joining the family team: Juliette, who is in charge of developing wine tourism, and Bastien, who is likely to manage the viticulture work.
Finally, the André David Beaulieu Museum is to open soon. A renowned Naturalist and ornithologist, André David Beaulieu was a colonial administrator in French Indochina and manager of Château Coutet till 1969. Numerous remains of the colonial era and animals stuffed by him will be displayed in this museum dedicated to his memory. Archives of the estate dating back up to four centuries will also be among the objects of the museum.