News — Sancerre

Without Peer- Lowest Price:
2022 Pascal Cotat Chavignol Rosé

The 2022 rosé is an especially punchy and deeply powerful vintage. The tactile minerality is really gripping in this vintage. The length and overall architecture are formidable.

A Benchmark
2022 Pascal Cotat Chavignol Monts Damnés

When it comes to Sancerre, Cotat's village of Chavignol is a very special place. Today, we focus on Chavignol's top vineyards from one of the region's long standing benchmarks.

Cotat Rarity
2019 François Cotat Chavignol Rosé

For many rosés, there's a race to drink them within the first year of release. In contrast, Cotat's is in prime form after 6-10 years of age.

The Outlier
2019 François Cotat Sancerre Caillottes

François Cotat produces some of the greatest expressions of Sancerre (and Sauvignon Blanc) in the world.

The Damned Mountain
2019 François Cotat Sancerre Les Monts Damnés

François Cotat's Monts Damnés has served as an enduring benchmark of what's possible for Sancerre.

"Damned hills" Sweet Spot - 200 Cases Made:
2018 Boulay Sancerre La Comtesse

Gérard Boulay makes some of the most elegant, complex, and longest-lived Sancerres.

La Comtesse is his top wine. It originates from 50-70-year-old vines in a choice section of Mont Dam­nés in the Chavignol area. Vatan's famous Clos La Neore is close by. 

The Crown Jewel of Sancerre: 2018 Pascal Cotat La Grande Côte

La Grande Côte produces what may be the most profound expressions of Sauvignon Blanc.

It produces epic and soaring Sancerres that age brilliantly. 

The King of Sancerre:
2018 François Cotat La Grande Côte

Among the vineyards of Sancerre, La Grande Côte is king. François Cotat's Grande Côte is one of the grandest, most profound and longest lived Sancerres on earth.

The Outlier: 2018 François Cotat Sancerre Caillottes

Generally speaking, you'd summarize Cotat's wines as deep, layered, and rich. Caillottes turns this characterization on its head. We like to think of Caillottes as the outlier in Cotat's lineup. It's also deliciously compelling.

Loire Rarity For The Ages - Revisited:
2018 Pascal Cotat Chavignol Rosé

Pascal Cotat's Rosé is one of the most ageworthy and compelling rosés in existence. You'll find Pascal Cotat's rosé in the cellars of collectors, and they treat it as a serious wine. It's a wine that is in many ways without peer.

The Damned Mountain:
2018 François Cotat Sancerre Les Monts Damnés

Les Monts Damnés is one of the most daunting hills in all of France. The Sauvignon Blanc that grows on it is easily among the best in the world. It's called the “damned mountains” because of how steep and difficult the site is to work. When you see a picture of Monts Damnés, it's obvious that this is great terroir.

Cotat Rarity: 2018 François Cotat Chavignol Rosé

The last time that we were able to offer François Cotat’s Rose was in 2015. This is one of the most compelling examples of what rosé wine is capable of, and that goes a long way to explain its cult following.

The Outlier: 2017 François Cotat Sancerre Caillottes

Cotat's Caillottes is an outlier. François Cotat produces some of the greatest expressions of Sancerre (and Sauvignon Blanc) in the world. Generally speaking, you'd summarize Cotat's wines as deep, layered and rich. Caillottes turns this characterization on its head. 

A Pillar of Sancerre:
2017 Boulay Sancerre Monts Damnés

Gérard Boulay makes some of the most elegant, complex and longest-lived Sancerres. Along with Vatan and Cotat, Boulay is a pillar of Sancerre’s famed Chavignol region. Out of all of these producers, it's' Boulay's wines that I've developed the deepest fondness for.

The Pinnacle of Sancerre: 2017 François Cotat Chavignol La Grande Côte

The Grande Côte, the famed site within Sancerre’s Chavignol area, is where Sauvignon Blanc reaches its pinnacle. This is one of the grandest, most profound and longest lived Sancerres on the earth.

From Limestone - A Distance Runner:
2017 François Cotat Sancerre Les Culs de Beaujeu

I've always had a soft spot for Culs de Beaujeu. The way that it comes off as saturating, poised and vividly stony is supremely compelling.

Loire Benchmark:
2017 François Cotat Sancerre Les Monts Damnés

Les Monts Damnés may be the most famous vineyard in Sancerre. It's called the “damned mountains” because of how steep and how difficult the site is to work. When you see a picture of Monts Damnés, it's obvious that this is great terroir.

Sancerre Grand Cru: 2016 Boulay Sancerre La Côte

Among the vineyards of Sancerre, La Grande Côte is king. Gérard Boulay's Sancerres are some of my favorite expressions of the appellation. I was really excited in 2010 when Boulay debuted La Côte, which is from a choice parcel in Grande Côte. It immediately became one of the most impressive wines in Sancerre.

2017 Pascal Cotat Chavignol Rosé

Pascal Cotat's Rosé occupies a very special place. Few, if any rosés, age better or with more elegance. We've had bottles with 10 and even 20 years of age that have blown us away. The 2002 is a legendary bottle around here.

The Other Side of Cotat:
2016 François Cotat Sancerre Les Caillottes

When you taste through François Cotat's line-up, Caillottes is a clear outlier. If Grande Côte and Monts Damnes wow with their layered intensity and longevity, Caillottes impresses with its agility, lithe frame and linear minerality.

Supreme Refreshment, Serious Complexity
- 2016 Boulay Sancerre: Clos de Beaujeu & Monts Damnés

Along with Vatan and the Cotat cousins, Boulay produces some of the most elegant, complex and long-lived Sancerre. Out of all of them, it's Boulay's wines that I reach for most often and devote the most cellar space to.

The King of Sancerre:
2016 Francois Cotat La Grande Côte

Among the vineyards of Sancerre, La Grande Côte is king. When you taste a young François Cotat Grande Côte, you immediately sense its profundity, the intricate weave of layers and its taut depth. It's clearly a wine that holds a lot in reserve.

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2016 François Cotat
Sancerre Les Culs de Beaujeu

For decades, Cotat's Sancerres have stood as the pinnacle of the appellation. Taste bottles of François Cotat with a healthy amount of time in the cellar and their importance only becomes more clear. Beyond Sancerre, they are simply great examples of mineral-drenched and slow-to-unfold regal wines. 

2016 Pascal Cotat Chavignol Rosé

Allocations of Pascal Cotat's Rosé are typically handed out in 6-12 bottle quantities. It feels like a lucky break each time we get to offer it.