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.

Along with Vatan and his cousin Pascal, François Cotat's Sancerres exist on their own plane. These are the time-tested benchmarks of Sancerre, collected by the same people who chase down the best wines in the world.

François Cotat's Monts Damnés possesses a grandness of scale and mineral tension making it one of the most ageable examples of Sauvignon Blanc on the planet.

A large part of the story is that Monts Damnés sits on Kimmeridgian marl, the same soil as parts of Chablis. There's a core of distinctive and elegant minerality to Sancerres grown on this soil. The best examples have soaring and intricate structures that are really amazing.

The 2018 is a grand, sculpted vintage. It's a full-throttle edition of the wine with a penetrating, gripping presence and some serious density. For all of its jammed packed intensity, there's a shocking amount of verve and drive.

This is a monument to Monts Damnés. Cotat's wines are famous for aging brilliantly for decades. The sheer density of the 2018 promises a fascinating evolution.

To order, email offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.

Ian McFadden

Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits