It’s here: our hotly anticipated, annual allocation of Pascal Cotat’s single-vineyard Sancerre, and as usual, it is very limited. If you’re in the club already, feel free to click below and pounce so you don’t miss out. If you need a refresher on why everyone is so jazzed on Cotat, here’s the lowdown: For several decades now, Pascal has worked tirelessly to perfect the art of producing profoundly complex Sauvignon Blanc that strives to be the standard bearer for what Sancerre can achieve. Only his cousin, François, Edmond Vatan, and perhaps the Vacherons are in the same league. In fact, comparing Cotat to most any other Sancerre completely misses the point, as this wine should be compared with the greatest white wines produced anywhere on the globe. If you are someone who wants to have a representative selection of benchmark wines in your cellar, then you need Cotat. And given that prestige, it is still a relative value: Most wines with this level of pedigree are in the three, even four digits. The 2023 is super classic vintage too. Ok, convinced? Hopefully we still have some left!
Originating in the 1940s, the Cotat family domaine was passed from brothers Paul and Francis to their respective sons, François and Pascal, in the 1990s. Dedicated to the unique terroir of each site, the Cotats were among the first winemakers to vinify and produce single-vineyard bottlings in Sancerre, but the cousins eventually created two separate labels due to tedious government regulations. While François stayed put in Chavignol, his cousin charted the path for Domaine Pascal Cotat in Sancerre and built a separate winery.
Within the hamlet of Chavignol, Les Monts Dam