When it comes to Sancerre, Cotat's village of Chavignol is a very special place.
Today, we focus on Chavignol's top two vineyards from one of the region's longstanding benchmarks.
Along with his cousin François and Edmond Vatan, Pascal Cotat has firmly established how complex and ageworthy Sancerre can be.
There have been countless bottles of Pascal Cotat with a decade or more of age that have astonished us. Compared to François, Pascal has a lower profile. The two cousins produce very similar wines. Pascal's wines tend to be a little deeper and more powerful than François'.
The style thrived in 2021. After a series of vintages where growers struggled to tame ripeness, 2021 is a vintage that harkens back to the old days when they had to work hard to achieve ripeness. Cotat's 2021s have a presence, but also a cool-toned profile that we love. They deliver plenty of minerals and citrus with plenty of cut.
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Chavignol is absolutely defined by its terroir - Kimmeridgian marl, the same soil as parts of Chablis - that imbues the wine with Chablis-like minerality.
Monts Damnés is the most famous site in all of the Loire - a strikingly steep vineyard that produces chalky, vibrant, laser-like wines. This wine is the more rigorous and mineral of the two Sancerres being offered today.
Among the vineyards of Sancerre, La Grande Côte is king. Grande Côte is one of the grandest, most profound, and longest-lived Sancerres on earth. La Grande Côte is a steep vineyard that sits on hard Kimmeridgian limestone, the same vein that runs through Chablis. As one might expect, the grapes grown here produce wines of energy, precision, and Chablis-like minerality. Aided by 50-year-old vines, Pascal's style turns out a stunning Grande Côte.
Before I close, I should warn you that this is a very, very short vintage. Many producers were down between 65-70%. There's very little wine to go around. Give us your ideal order, and we'll try our best.
To order, email offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits
