Domaine Francois Cotat Sancerre Les Monts Damnes 2020

Domaine Francois Cotat Sancerre Les Monts Damnes 2020

Francois Cotat is a Sancerre wine producer of old-style Sauvignon Blanc, based in the commune of Chavignol. The estate’s distinctive Sancerre wines are met with high acclaim from critics as well as consumers.

The Cotat family has been producing Sauvignon Blanc and small portions of Pinot Noir from the slopes of the esteemed Monts Damns vineyard since the 1940s. Today, the estate is run by cousins Pascal and Francois Cotat who produce wine in separate cellars, but uphold the traditional winemaking techniques implemented by their fathers, founders Paul and Francis Cotat. In the winery, grapes are fermented in barrels using wild yeasts and are bottled unfined and unfiltered.

The estate’s other top vineyards include Monts Damns, Caillots, La Grande Cte, and Les Culs de Beaujeu. Chavignol is characterized by a unique type of chalky limestone soil called ‘terres blanches’ which contributes a distinct minerality to Sauvignon Blanc.

In the vineyard, Sauvignon Blanc is handpicked relatively late, allowing for flavor compounds to reach full maturity. This contributes to the weighty texture of the finished wines, as well as higher levels of residual sugar and alcohol. For this reason, wines by Francois Cotat have sometimes been declassified to Vin de France status, though their prestige remains. Francois Cotat also produces a ros from its small plot of Pinot Noir.