Opened three hours in advance. Drank a small glass. Deep straw to the eye. An intriguing aromatic evolution in the glass from damp river rocks that with time dried out and transformed into the dust from crushed stones. Wild gooseberry, a feint hint of lemon verbena, and dried hay round out the experience. Exceptional power and length coupled with outstanding purity as is often the case with Cotat. At a decade of age you’re only just beginning to scratch the surface but it was an absolute joy doing so.
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8 years and still remarkably fresh and youthful. Bright pale straw yellow. The nose is still primary with pear, apple, and blackcurrant. The palate is remarkably clean and pure. The front of palate fruit follows the nose heightened by crisp fruit acidity. Further fruit develops on the mid palate led by key limes, grapefruit and passion fruit. Freshly cut grass, stone minerals and lime on the finish.
All of this was better on day 2 with a hint of tertiary sweet fruit.
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The wine is clear, with pale lemon color, and thick legs.
On the nose, the wine is clean, with medium plus primary aroma intensity of white spices, peppermint, clove, hints of gunflint along with herbal, almost animally notes.
On the palate the wine is dry, with medium plus acidity, medium body, medium alcohol, medium plus primary flavor intensity of white fruits, grapefruit, gooseberries, citrus, lemon, lemon zest, white spices, white peeper.
Finish is medium plus, with hints of fresh minerality.
The wine is of a very good quality, as it is showing balance between concentrated fruit, fresh green notes, minerality and acidity. Length is pronounce and pleasant, with expressive acidity across mid-palate, showing multi layers of characteristics both on nose and palate which makes it complex and gastronomic.
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Tasting Ground official tasting, Chavignol Somewhere in Time (Oinoscent): Again different that the other 2 mont damnes, sitting halfway between the 2 styles. It has the steely, flinty notes of Boulay with the ripeness of Pascat Cotat. With time in the glass, the ripe side seems to emerge more. Marmalade and spicy hints too. Palate showing far more nerve, energy, high acidity, medium body, as mineral as a Santorini (if not more), tight texture, unforgiving, long finish. Very unique, very interesting
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Dinner with the wine group (Zazie's, San Francisco): Lemon-yellow; intense aromatics, ginger, spice, citrus, minerality, wonderful complexity; medium bodied, vibrant acidity, nice citrus oil; medium-long finish. Wonderful aromatics, reminds me of a dry Austrian riesling like Alzinger. 93-94
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Un beau sancerre sur la maturité, de profil légèrement demi-sec typique du vigneron. Pas des plus complexes, mais se boit beaucoup mieux que d’autres sauvignons du même âge. Tiendra la route en cave sans problème et développera même un peu plus de complexité.
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Dinner at Testaccio (Chicago, IL): It's been a while since I've had a Sancerre, so I was pretty keen on trying this. Alas, sauvignon blanc is still sauvignon blanc. This has a weird combination of white grape and green bell pepper on the nose. The palate fortunately is much better, but there are still some green notes there as well. Good acidity, minerality, and weight, the thing that sticks in my craw are the green/pyrazine notes.
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decanted for a bit and served and really helps albeit this bottle was not at par with the ones we had before 6-7 month ago. Was a touch oxidative and with a bitter edge. Still very solid , bright and energetic and with a clear sauvignon blanc grassiness . very pretty 91 albeit we have had much better example from this vintages and usually rate it 92-93. we felt it was a bottle issue.
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This is crazy good Sancerre, not at all like your run of the mill boring wines. This has real presence and nerve, quite a fat fruit in the background. discrete citrus, minerals galore - and a very fine acidity. #ÅretsRet#Generalforsamling
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Easily this will last another 5 years and continue to evolve. Longevity akin to great Chablis, more mineral, bright acidity and really brings out the Sauv Blanc to a new dimension, a more mineral, soft floral and bright citrus. Very solid. 92-93 once again
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Another pretty showing and this wine is now rewarding our faith and patience to cellar it, and we definitely feel it has the built to last another 5 years with not much to fear. It is definitely unlike any other sancerre we have tied, less grassy, more mineral and citrussy ,brigth and energetic and with of course very elegant. 92-93
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Our first bottle of this vintage and waiting ( frankly we forgot this in bond at Seckfords) paid off as the wine really needs age to separate it from the rest and develop into what is a special wine. 6 years young, bright and beautiful, still with a fresh vibrant side but also with a nice evolve and giving fruit side. This is not your usual Sauvignon Blanc , has a character of its own and even a style of its own we might say. Very solid and is now showing what the fuss is all about Mr Cotat. If barrel and butter is not what your looking into your whites this is the place for you. 92-93
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Delicious, required some air time to really round into form. Lovely richness with clean delineated citrus, bit of chalk, hints of softer stone fruit, apple with exceptional balance once opened up. Definitely give it time.
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I really liked this. A little punishing on first opening but 2/3 of the bottle the next day was gorgeous. Don't know much about Sancerre at this level, but this clearly can last - everything I like about Loire sauvignon blanc taken to another level - purity, tension... really good stuff !
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Damn. Delicious. Such great energy and density. Coiled yellow fruit, touch of green, a succulent bitter dimension, long finish. He always gets so much out of Sauvignon blanc. Needs about 30 min of air and should get even better over next few years.
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Pale yellow. Wet hay, hints of gooseberry, lemon and melon behind the hay. It is dry on the palate but with a very slight pleasing hint of sweetness - don't worry this is not off-dry. Acidity does not come across as very high, but I suspect it is off-set by the marked glycerin in this wine. The glycerin also lends body to the wine giving it above average body. a hint of almond on the palate, otherwise as per the nose. Long finish and high intensity of flavour.
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Pop 'n pour. This gives off a wonderful lemony, grape fruity, quince and mineral driven nose that leads way to a racy palate of tart lemon rind and chalkiness that is perfectly balanced. As you can tell by my score, I thoroughly enjoyed this bottle.
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Very pale green in the glass, almost clear. Citrus and grass are very pleasantly balanced by sweet tropical fruit notes. This is very light, bordering on diluted, but the low acidity and overall balance make for nice drinking now.
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Still very hard and closed. The mountain of minerals remains with a bit of a vegetable garden beneath them. You can tell where the layers will go though, with nuttiness and mature cooked gooseberry in its fortune. Continue to wait.
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This is far too young. The minerals are in abundance, like being in a quarry. Heaps of wild herbs, but beneath that a depth of fruit that is intense and smoky, hinting at where the future will go. Very racy acidity, full of energy and excitement, but tightly knit and assembled for a bright future. Delicious, but wait five years.
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MS-style Blinds (6 in 25 minutes) at Californios (Californios SF): Brief notes: This was damn good - it had a searing, racy acidity but also a wonderful mineral energy and weight to the palate. The earthy mushroom complexity was intense. Around 9. Not typical Sancerre!
---------------- Full Notes:
Visual
- mostly clear, just bright - pale straw with reflections of green - a little sediment, no gas - moderate tears
Nose
- mostly clean - a little reductive (burnt rubber) - moderate minus intensity - [forgot to note the maturity] - earth-driven in nature - fruit - very subdued green apples. - [forgot to note herbaceousness] - earth - white button mushrooms - [forgot to note florals] - lees stirring (cheese rind) - no overt oak - maybe neutral barrels - no botrytis - [forgot to note malo] - [forgot to note complexity]
Palate
- dry - medium body - moderate alcohol - 12.5-13% (correct - 13%) - high acid, tart and malic - very neutral on the palate - no herbaceousness - no botrytis - confirm the washed-rind cheese, suggesting lees stirring. - no overt oak, but maybe neutral barrels - [forgot to note mineral energy] - balanced in an acid-driven way - complexity is moderate - finish is moderate plus
Initial Conclusions
- Old World wine from a cool climate. - Possible styles are Chablis, Muscadet. - Vouvray would have higher RS - Savennieres would have oxidation. - It broadens out on the palate with more apple, which takes me to Chardonnay, and hence Chablis.
Final Conclusion
- Chardonnay from Chablis, 2012, Premier Cru quality.
Shows a little more restraint than the past couple of releases. Complex aromatics of tangerine, white pepper, freshly cut grass and gin botanicals. It is rich and full yet fresh and zippy. There's chewy underlying structure and the finish is all tart grapefruit and mineral.
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Coravin Tasting Experiment and Lunch (Morton's Steakhouse - chicago IL): Lemon, lemon custard and lemon peel with a chalky, mine rally character I really enjoy. Great length and an expanding finish that is today too dominated by acidity but bodes well for this wine's future. First tasting of a multi year Coravin experiment.
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4/11/2024 - paintinginacave wrote: 94 Points
Opened three hours in advance. Drank a small glass. Deep straw to the eye. An intriguing aromatic evolution in the glass from damp river rocks that with time dried out and transformed into the dust from crushed stones. Wild gooseberry, a feint hint of lemon verbena, and dried hay round out the experience. Exceptional power and length coupled with outstanding purity as is often the case with Cotat. At a decade of age you’re only just beginning to scratch the surface but it was an absolute joy doing so.
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12/7/2022 - AndrewHH wrote: 93 Points
8 years and still remarkably fresh and youthful. Bright pale straw yellow. The nose is still primary with pear, apple, and blackcurrant. The palate is remarkably clean and pure. The front of palate fruit follows the nose heightened by crisp fruit acidity. Further fruit develops on the mid palate led by key limes, grapefruit and passion fruit. Freshly cut grass, stone minerals and lime on the finish.
All of this was better on day 2 with a hint of tertiary sweet fruit.
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10/12/2022 - Shloly Likes this wine: 91 Points
The wine is clear, with pale lemon color, and thick legs.
On the nose, the wine is clean, with medium plus primary aroma intensity of white spices, peppermint, clove, hints of gunflint along with herbal, almost animally notes.
On the palate the wine is dry, with medium plus acidity, medium body, medium alcohol, medium plus primary flavor intensity of white fruits, grapefruit, gooseberries, citrus, lemon, lemon zest, white spices, white peeper.
Finish is medium plus, with hints of fresh minerality.
The wine is of a very good quality, as it is showing balance between concentrated fruit, fresh green notes, minerality and acidity.
Length is pronounce and pleasant, with expressive acidity across mid-palate, showing multi layers of characteristics both on nose and palate which makes it complex and gastronomic.
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10/12/2022 - kostaslonis Likes this wine:
Tasting Ground official tasting, Chavignol Somewhere in Time (Oinoscent): Again different that the other 2 mont damnes, sitting halfway between the 2 styles. It has the steely, flinty notes of Boulay with the ripeness of Pascat Cotat. With time in the glass, the ripe side seems to emerge more. Marmalade and spicy hints too.
Palate showing far more nerve, energy, high acidity, medium body, as mineral as a Santorini (if not more), tight texture, unforgiving, long finish.
Very unique, very interesting
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9/27/2022 - aagrawal wrote: 94 Points
Dinner with the wine group (Zazie's, San Francisco): Lemon-yellow; intense aromatics, ginger, spice, citrus, minerality, wonderful complexity; medium bodied, vibrant acidity, nice citrus oil; medium-long finish. Wonderful aromatics, reminds me of a dry Austrian riesling like Alzinger. 93-94
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3/27/2022 - short and confused wrote:
Initially pretty monolithic an umipressive but after 4 hours just gorgeous. Wow.
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3/19/2022 - Mazy Likes this wine: 90 Points
Un beau sancerre sur la maturité, de profil légèrement demi-sec typique du vigneron. Pas des plus complexes, mais se boit beaucoup mieux que d’autres sauvignons du même âge. Tiendra la route en cave sans problème et développera même un peu plus de complexité.
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10/13/2021 - Nanda wrote: 90 Points
Casual dinner at Testacio: Grassy, jalapeño and green apple aromas. Really round and seamless with bright grape fruit notes and acidity.
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10/13/2021 - acyso wrote: 88 Points
Dinner at Testaccio (Chicago, IL): It's been a while since I've had a Sancerre, so I was pretty keen on trying this. Alas, sauvignon blanc is still sauvignon blanc. This has a weird combination of white grape and green bell pepper on the nose. The palate fortunately is much better, but there are still some green notes there as well. Good acidity, minerality, and weight, the thing that sticks in my craw are the green/pyrazine notes.
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9/23/2021 - DAN BAILEY Likes this wine:
Tangy, citrusy sweetness. Grapefruit with a hint of RS and petrol. Cut grass and herbs. Drinking beautifully.
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2/7/2021 - Papies wrote: 91 Points
decanted for a bit and served and really helps albeit this bottle was not at par with the ones we had before 6-7 month ago. Was a touch oxidative and with a bitter edge. Still very solid , bright and energetic and with a clear sauvignon blanc grassiness . very pretty 91 albeit we have had much better example from this vintages and usually rate it 92-93. we felt it was a bottle issue.
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8/20/2020 - beatles wrote: 93 Points
This is crazy good Sancerre, not at all like your run of the mill boring wines. This has real presence and nerve, quite a fat fruit in the background. discrete citrus, minerals galore - and a very fine acidity.
#ÅretsRet#Generalforsamling
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7/27/2020 - Papies wrote: 92 Points
Easily this will last another 5 years and continue to evolve. Longevity akin to great Chablis, more mineral, bright acidity and really brings out the Sauv Blanc to a new dimension, a more mineral, soft floral and bright citrus. Very solid. 92-93 once again
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6/17/2020 - Papies wrote: 92 Points
Another pretty showing and this wine is now rewarding our faith and patience to cellar it, and we definitely feel it has the built to last another 5 years with not much to fear. It is definitely unlike any other sancerre we have tied, less grassy, more mineral and citrussy ,brigth and energetic and with of course very elegant. 92-93
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6/5/2020 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
Our first bottle of this vintage and waiting ( frankly we forgot this in bond at Seckfords) paid off as the wine really needs age to separate it from the rest and develop into what is a special wine.
6 years young, bright and beautiful, still with a fresh vibrant side but also with a nice evolve and giving fruit side. This is not your usual Sauvignon Blanc , has a character of its own and even a style of its own we might say. Very solid and is now showing what the fuss is all about Mr Cotat. If barrel and butter is not what your looking into your whites this is the place for you. 92-93
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12/24/2019 - wayfarer Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious, required some air time to really round into form. Lovely richness with clean delineated citrus, bit of chalk, hints of softer stone fruit, apple with exceptional balance once opened up. Definitely give it time.
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10/7/2019 - B Paul wrote:
Rounding out nicely and drinking well.
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4/13/2019 - Guillaume-en-égypte Likes this wine: 93 Points
I really liked this. A little punishing on first opening but 2/3 of the bottle the next day was gorgeous. Don't know much about Sancerre at this level, but this clearly can last - everything I like about Loire sauvignon blanc taken to another level - purity, tension... really good stuff !
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3/17/2019 - LW31 Likes this wine:
Damn. Delicious. Such great energy and density. Coiled yellow fruit, touch of green, a succulent bitter dimension, long finish. He always gets so much out of Sauvignon blanc. Needs about 30 min of air and should get even better over next few years.
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2/6/2018 - B Paul wrote:
Needed half an hour of air to come alive. Once it did, this was great. Lots of citrus on a medium-bodied frame.
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8/30/2017 - Philip67 wrote: 93 Points
Pale yellow. Wet hay, hints of gooseberry, lemon and melon behind the hay. It is dry on the palate but with a very slight pleasing hint of sweetness - don't worry this is not off-dry. Acidity does not come across as very high, but I suspect it is off-set by the marked glycerin in this wine. The glycerin also lends body to the wine giving it above average body. a hint of almond on the palate, otherwise as per the nose. Long finish and high intensity of flavour.
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3/25/2017 - Donjcorleone Likes this wine: 94 Points
Pop 'n pour. This gives off a wonderful lemony, grape fruity, quince and mineral driven nose that leads way to a racy palate of tart lemon rind and chalkiness that is perfectly balanced. As you can tell by my score, I thoroughly enjoyed this bottle.
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2/11/2017 - petitblanc wrote: 91 Points
Very pale green in the glass, almost clear. Citrus and grass are very pleasantly balanced by sweet tropical fruit notes. This is very light, bordering on diluted, but the low acidity and overall balance make for nice drinking now.
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8/17/2016 - depechemoroder Likes this wine: 90 Points
Still very hard and closed. The mountain of minerals remains with a bit of a vegetable garden beneath them. You can tell where the layers will go though, with nuttiness and mature cooked gooseberry in its fortune. Continue to wait.
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4/24/2016 - B Paul wrote:
Fantastic. Great acidity. Should age wonderfully for many years, but also delicious now.
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4/16/2016 - depechemoroder Likes this wine: 91 Points
This is far too young. The minerals are in abundance, like being in a quarry. Heaps of wild herbs, but beneath that a depth of fruit that is intense and smoky, hinting at where the future will go. Very racy acidity, full of energy and excitement, but tightly knit and assembled for a bright future. Delicious, but wait five years.
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1/14/2016 - RajivAyyangar wrote: 91 Points
MS-style Blinds (6 in 25 minutes) at Californios (Californios SF): Brief notes: This was damn good - it had a searing, racy acidity but also a wonderful mineral energy and weight to the palate. The earthy mushroom complexity was intense. Around 9. Not typical Sancerre!
----------------
Full Notes:
Visual
- mostly clear, just bright
- pale straw with reflections of green
- a little sediment, no gas
- moderate tears
Nose
- mostly clean - a little reductive (burnt rubber)
- moderate minus intensity
- [forgot to note the maturity]
- earth-driven in nature
- fruit - very subdued green apples.
- [forgot to note herbaceousness]
- earth - white button mushrooms
- [forgot to note florals]
- lees stirring (cheese rind)
- no overt oak - maybe neutral barrels
- no botrytis
- [forgot to note malo]
- [forgot to note complexity]
Palate
- dry
- medium body
- moderate alcohol - 12.5-13% (correct - 13%)
- high acid, tart and malic
- very neutral on the palate
- no herbaceousness
- no botrytis
- confirm the washed-rind cheese, suggesting lees stirring.
- no overt oak, but maybe neutral barrels
- [forgot to note mineral energy]
- balanced in an acid-driven way
- complexity is moderate
- finish is moderate plus
Initial Conclusions
- Old World wine from a cool climate.
- Possible styles are Chablis, Muscadet.
- Vouvray would have higher RS
- Savennieres would have oxidation.
- It broadens out on the palate with more apple, which takes me to Chardonnay, and hence Chablis.
Final Conclusion
- Chardonnay from Chablis, 2012, Premier Cru quality.
Actually 2014 Francois Cotat Sancerre “LesMonts Damne’s”, 13%
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9/30/2015 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Shows a little more restraint than the past couple of releases. Complex aromatics of tangerine, white pepper, freshly cut grass and gin botanicals. It is rich and full yet fresh and zippy. There's chewy underlying structure and the finish is all tart grapefruit and mineral.
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8/31/2015 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Coravin Tasting Experiment and Lunch (Morton's Steakhouse - chicago IL): Lemon, lemon custard and lemon peel with a chalky, mine rally character I really enjoy. Great length and an expanding finish that is today too dominated by acidity but bodes well for this wine's future. First tasting of a multi year Coravin experiment.
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