François Cotat

Chavignol, Sancerre Loire Valley, France The venerable Cotat estate holds vineyards in the top-rated village of Chavignol, making tiny quantities of absolutely unforgettable wines. In fact, these wines are so distinctive that certain vintages were forbidden from using the Sancerre appellation, as they were deemed "atypical" for Sancerre. Regardless of whether they are called Sancerre or not, they are certainly outstanding in quality, exhibiting a perfect balance between fruit, minerality and acidity. From 1947 until the early 1990's, the Cotat family, under the direction of the brothers Francis and Paul, made a single cuvee in one cellar for each of their brothers designated wines, but bottled it under two separate labels. Upon retiring, the Cotat brothers turned their vineyards over to each of their sons, Francis son Pascal and Paul's son François. Today the cousins produce their wines in separate cellars, but each still practices the same traditional winemaking techniques mastered by their fathers. François Cotat rejects "international style" Sauvignon Blanc that refreshing, juicy and palate cleansing wine, which become just innocuous grapefruit juice with alcohol. The Cotat style is sinewy, old-fashioned Sancerre. Cotat farms organically on 12 acres of southeast-facing slopes in Chavignol, one of fourteen villages authorized by French wine law to use the appellation "Sancerre". With steep slopes that are extremely hard to cultivate, the brilliant “terres blanche” soils make the effort worthwhile. Hauntingly complex Sauvignon Blanc is the reward. François attended wine school in Beaune for exactly one semester; this was long enough to conclude that the university's high-tech bias didn't square with his family's ideals; he returned to Sancerre a confirmed traditionalist. The Sancerres of François and his cousin, Pascal are late-picked for maximum flavor, crushed in a 19th century vertical wood press, then barrel-fermented using natural 'wild' yeasts. They are neither fined nor