2014 is a stellar vintage for the Loire. This is especially true in Sancerre.
At this point, comparisons to past greats like 1996 and 2002 don't feel out of line.
It probably goes without saying that I've been hunting François Cotat's 2014s. Cotat is one of France's time-tested greats. Tasting old Cotat's can be a profound experience. A few old Cotats over the past few years have convinced me to cellar large amounts of Cotat, particularly in vintages like 2014.
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Cotat's wines are defined by top sites in a special terroir. The village of Chavignol sits on Kimmeridgian marl, the same soil as parts of Chablis. Culs de Beaujeau is one of the village's top sites. It's an incredibly steep hillside that's very well exposed.
I've always had a soft spot for how Culs de Beaujeu combines a slightly lavish and oily texture with a taut core of talc-like minerality. It comes off as saturating, poised and vividly stony. With time, terroir reigns and it becomes emphatically mineral with shavings of ripe citrus.
The story with 2014 in Sancerre is impact, length and balance. The 2014 Culs de Beaujeu boasts an incredibly complex mid-palate animated by an incisive, energetic core that ends in an ultra-fine finish.
This is a very exciting edition of Culs de Beaujeau. Fans of Cotat will want to stock up. 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.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits