This is one of the most mysterious, hardest to find wines around.

We spent years searching for François Cotat's Rouge. After many years and lots of effort, we ended up with just a few cases.

The first vintage of Cotat's Rouge was 2005. It's sourced from Sancerre but doesn't qualify for the AOC because Cotat blocks malo. If you were to go looking for the 2018, you won't find another listing in the United States and would only find 3 other listings in the world.

As you can imagine, Cotat's Rouge is incredibly vibrant. It offers an intense mineral streak with herbs and dark cherry fruits. There's a beautiful finesse and talc-like texture that adds fascination to the wine's energetic core. In many ways, it feels like an expression of Pinot that could only emerge from Chavignol's Kimmeridgean soils.

We have a fondness for Cotat's reds in ripe vintages. The added dimension of punch and presence that such vintages bring to the wine make for an even more fascinating wine. The 2018 Rouge is an especially dramatic example. You get a nice combination of richness and buoyancy wrapped around a tight mineral core. You get soaring floral and spice notes.

This is an elusive and fascinating must-have wine. I wish that more was available, but the way things stand, we're lucky. I'm going to wrap this up. I'll just warn you that a sellout is very likely. Please 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.

Joe Salamone

Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits

2018 François Cotat VdF Rouge

Special Bottle Price: $75.95