From generation to generation, the Cotat family magnifies the Sauvignon on the most beautiful slopes of Sancerre. This appellation, associated with a grape variety that is often misunderstood with regard to its unique balance, has been too much ignored by apparent purists of the label who swear by Chardonnay and the great Burgundian appellations for their lack of curiosity about white wines.
By Xavier Aubercy
How wrong the purists of the label are when they do not see further than Burgundy! Sauvignon, when it is respected and loved as it is here at Francois Cotat’s, is a great wine offering to the gourmet oenophile minerality, acidity, and lemony notes; unequalled pairings with certain dishes such as asparagus – which is difficult to match – as well as with frog legs, seafood, or river fish just out of the water accompanied by a beurre blanc… It is also a must with all the goats of its region, and even from a little further away
In this domain, we perpetuate the tradition in an absolute continuity, which has always been based, out of respect, on the same way of working: the grape harvests are whole, the pressing is ultra-precise associated with very little crushing. There is only a slight stirring at the end of fermentation – short so as not to tire the wine. The pruning is very severe in order to limit the yields, reaching 35 or 40 hl/ha, depending on the vintage. Les vendanges, à pleine maturité, sont évidemment manuelles avec un tri sérieux à la vigne pour y concentrer toutes les saveurs. Concerning the latter, it should be noted that here, they are often made rather late, which explains the presence, on certain vintages, of a light residual sugar contributing to a masterly balance.
No yeast, no new wood, no filtration… It is the grape alone that is revealed, and this desire simply to “let nature do its work”. Fermentations are short in order to preserve all the energy of the wines, as well as the bottling just before summer. No large refrigerated tanks; the doors, when needed, are simply opened, the old-fashioned way. I was told, in summary of all these work customs: “Why change when things are good!” When I ask Mrs. Cotat what makes her happy, she answers: “I like to get up, see the vines, that’s enough for me! I don’t ask for more. We do our work, we are happy, we have nice customers all over the world…” This Authenticity was for me a pure beauty, and it alone sums up this unique home.
Finally, let’s talk about the masterful terroirs of the estate, and this parcel-based approach through the two emblematic cuvées: “Mont Damnés” from vines over 35 years old, with some fine saline and even smoky notes, revealing above all a strong minerality; or, the “Cul de Beaujeu”, perhaps the most exceptional parcel in Chavignol The slope is impressive, and the operating conditions are more complicated with its 45% slopes. White fruits and grapefruit, combined with a very precise acidity, make the personality of these more than rare bottles. White fruits and grapefruit, combined with a very precise acidity, make the personality of these more than rare bottles.
The clay-limestone soils and Kimmeridgian terroirs – as in Chablis – give, during the evolution, complex flavors of “gunflint” so delicious… They combine with the typicity of great Sancerre : fine nose of citrus, infusion, white flowers, acacia honey, pear, red currant, which combine with a fleshy mouth and a lemony finish… This liveliness, and the great know-how of the estate, mean that these bottles go through the decades without any problem and that they contribute to the legend of the great Sancerre wines by their impressive ageing potential: tasting 15, 20 or even 25 or 30 year old wines is as much a feat for the appellation as it is a marvellous taste experience. Moreover, all the difficulty is to find these wines because the whole of the grounds does not make of 5 hectares… The vintages have, moreover, their afficionados and are reserved from one year to another. But don’t let that stop you from going to Chavignol, a charming village, to spend a day or a weekend; come back with a few eponymous cheeses or enjoy a fry-up on the banks of the Loire, and above all marvel at these extraordinary hillsides.
Rest assured, the great wine merchants and a few selected websites will allow you to find these wax-capped bottles that have always been pure, straight, without artifice, sincere, authentic and where all the humanity of this family is felt in each glass. A dynasty, which illustrates how a wine is always great when it is the expression of a terroir, of an identity and of a respectful style. This man and his family, very discreet and who live only to perpetuate a certain idea of the vineyard of Sancerre, add in each bottle this sincerity and this human dimension which make the great emotions far from the fashions of the moment… He says to me that his most beautiful reward is when one of his customers calls him to say: “yesterday, with my wife or my friends, we opened one of your bottles and it was good.” He hopes that one or both of his boys will continue this desire to please. It is, for me, one of my favorite wines.
