Domaine François Cotat - Sancerre La Grande Côte 2023

Sancerre from François Cotat is simply some of the most singular Sauvignon Blanc in the world. Devotees can tell you that what happens in this modest cellar in Chavignol is one part winemaking, three parts magic. Atypical yet arresting in their complexity, Cotat Sancerre is wine that can and should be aged for decades.

The Cotat family has tended both Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir on the slopes of the fabled “Monts Damnés” in Chavignol since the end of World War II; it was only in the 1990s when the two Cotat brothers, Paul and Francis, handed over the family domaine to their sons, François and Pascal, respectively.

Today there are two wineries—one in Chavignol, headed by François Cotat, and one in Sancerre, run by Pascal Cotat—yet both cousins craft wines from older Sauvignon Blanc vines located in Chavignol’s most-prized vineyards.

Located in the western portion of the Sancerre appellation, Chavignol has a unique type of soil called, in French, “terres blanches.” The region is essentially a chalk plateau (the same vein as is found in Chablis) with clay and limestone soils. The top vineyards, ‘Monts Damnés,’ ‘Grande Côte,’ and ‘Les Culs de Beaujeu,’ are perched on incredibly steep hillsides with very little topsoil.

Hand-harvested. Pressed (older, wooden vertical press) full cluster; fermented on indigenous yeasts in very old demi-muids. Aged in older tonneaux. Racked and bottled according to the lunar calendar. Bottled by hand, unfined and unfiltered.

Producer: Domaine François Cotat

Country: France

Region: Loire Valley

Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc

Appellation: Sancerre

Vintage: 2023

Size: 750ml