Despite age, appearance is still a shiny yellow. On the nose: fatty, dense, earthy, smoky, waxy. When agitated: mineral, earthy, honey and old wood. Not obvious this is Sauvignon Blanc because most of the fruity characteristics have gone.
On the palate a very savory wine. Somebody at the tasting mentioned "a touch of anchovies" and as weird as it sounds it was actually there.
My score reflects that I find it a very interesting wine, high quality and very original (never had anything like this). That does not mean that I am crazy about it. At 40-50 GBP per bottle, I will leave it to others.
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Still light yellow. Blind, I would have guessed old Savennieres (Chenin Blanc). Yes, there is grapefruit and herbs but also quinine and honey and slate. The aromas leap out of the glass without any fading over a couple of hours. Glyceral and tart with terrific persistence. A remarkable and in my experience truly singular 12 year old Sancerre.
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Wow, truly amazing wine. Light gold, great acidity. A mouthful of rocks. So fresh for a 9 year old white. As time went by and the wine warmed it turned to lemon custard and some other almost tropical, yet restrained fruit. I wish I had more of this in the cellar. I enjoyed it more than many White Burgundies that cost 3 times as much. This is in prime time. If you have it, drink it!
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A wonderful, bewitching, highly expressive wine. Aromas of coriander, aniseed, melon, lemon, white pepper, fragrant floral notes, and a spellbinding minerality. On the palate, a silky, rich glycerin texture counterpointed by searing, singing, reverberating acidity; a hint of residual sweetness offset by pronounced salinity and the gentle lift of background pepper accents; bracing lime, soft white stone fruits, apple, chalk, mint. A special, special wine, pure and natural and deeply mysterious somehow. And clearly made with integrity, creative intelligence, vision, and a touch of magic.
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Much more younger than I expected, the nose it's its best feature and it's all bright nuace of white mellon, gooseberry, anise amazing. Very fresh, medium saltiness, if it had have more body It'd be an outstanding wine.
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The appearance and freshness of a two-year old wine, not seven. Nose is somewhat restrained, with a faint -- almost haunting -- citrus note; palate is loaded with minerals and fresh squeezed lemons. Clean and crisp finish. Excellent.
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I really don't know what to make of this wine. Perhaps it was oxidised, but the cork seems pretty intact. If it's flawed, then c'est la vie, but, honestly, if it's supposed to taste like this, I found it undrinkable. There were no tell-tale signs of Sauvignon Blanc (grapefruit, apple, acidity etc). Very odd and unpleasant to drink. Switched to a Torbreck Wooscutters Semillon to enjoy with the cheese plate.
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Ma première expérience avec un vin de Cotat, que j’ai grandement appréciée. Agrumes, fruits à chair blanche, mangues, minéralité, litchi. Beaucoup de fruits, équilibrés par une belle acidité. M'a semblé encore bien jeune. Merci Michel. 90-91
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So precise - clean mineral flavors, perfect terroir expression, a very lean, austere wine. Needs a while to open up properly but more giving than the 05 Grand Cote by some way.
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Light aromas of grapefruit, fresh-cut pear, chalk and flowers. Palate has medium-light fruit, loads of mineral and pretty stiff acidity. Alone hard to drink as it finishes tart, but with grilled ahi and eggplant this was great.
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Wow! Like drinking liquid, crushed stones. Intensely mineral, with very firm acidity. Does seem to fade rather quickly, however, so I'm not sure how much longer I'll keep my last bottle. But the first half-hour or so it was spectacular.
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This has transformed into fantastic stuff. Nose is somewhat subdued. On the palate, the first impression is that the bottle age has softened the acidity here markedly. What's left is very classy, indeed -- limes, talc, and nuanced minerality. 30+ second finish, with the minerality forward but the other flavors lingering. Warm, complex, drinking great -- a perfect example of what Loire Valley SB can be about...
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Lovely nose of floral elements and minerality. Grapefruit and lemon, with only moderate acidity and a lovely roundness, some unctuousness -- but due to the fruit itself and no evident wood. Long finish
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Started very shy and needs time. Plenty of minerality, mango and lime on the nose. A little bit more restrained on the palate, med acidity, mineral, hint of exotic fruits and lemon with a lingering finish. May enter a dumb phase. Wait a year. Not as good as the 2005.
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More "sancerre" than "Cotat" in this vintage as compared to the 2005 and 2002. Plenty of acid with good body if not the mouthfilling-ness of richer vintages. I've found that these leaner vintages of Cotat pick up body and texture with age, so will try to keep hands off at least one of my bottles. My discrete CT scale: 95-extraordinary; 90-very good; 85-good; 80-fair; 75-poor
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As with the prior bottles, a little loose and messy. While there's bright fruit left, it will never match the jagged acidity and I see this falling apart over the next two years. Drink now, serve chilled, on the patio, in the summer, with oysters.....move on to the next bottle.
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Rather large-scale Sancerre. Huge minerality, with a delightful citrus note. Manages to be unctuous, yet bracing at the same time. Cleansing finish, very bright. Develops a distinctly chalky, limestone quality on the nose.
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Bracing acidity and a tart citrusy flavor profile make this a real palate cleanser. Might be at the edge of lean in that regard for some, but I prefer structure. Has hints of pineapple.
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Drinking well... has a very slight secondary fermentation. But: light straw with pale green hue. High-toned nose of citrus fruit, green apples. Tart/sweet in the mouth; very much a green-apple experience here.
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Pale green straw. Huge nose of green papaya, guava, cape gooseberry, powdered stone, mint and pea sprouts. rich and creamy with a tactile stone and green fruit flavors and penetrating acids. This is not bistro Sancerre! The mineral flavors really coat the whole palate and the finsih is long, chewy and almost dusty. This is so singular and unique. Should live for 5 to 8 years easily..... Bravo.
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This bottle exhibited a slight fizzy "bite" -- presumably a very minor secondary fermentation. Cleared when I decanted the bottle vigorously into a decanter and then back into the bottle.
The wine is a pretty straw with intense flavors and very good acidity. A very impressive Sancerre.
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No formal note. Tasted blind. Very typical Sancerre. Excellent. Tasted side by side with the '04 Pascal Cotat Mont Damnes, Pascal's wine seemed a little cleaner and perhaps slightly more "down the middle" in style, thought the two wines were very similar.
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2/6/2019 - tmagsmaken wrote: 90 Points
Despite age, appearance is still a shiny yellow.
On the nose: fatty, dense, earthy, smoky, waxy. When agitated: mineral, earthy, honey and old wood. Not obvious this is Sauvignon Blanc because most of the fruity characteristics have gone.
On the palate a very savory wine. Somebody at the tasting mentioned "a touch of anchovies" and as weird as it sounds it was actually there.
My score reflects that I find it a very interesting wine, high quality and very original (never had anything like this). That does not mean that I am crazy about it. At 40-50 GBP per bottle, I will leave it to others.
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11/27/2016 - Mistress of Wine Likes this wine:
Still light yellow. Blind, I would have guessed old Savennieres (Chenin Blanc). Yes, there is grapefruit and herbs but also quinine and honey and slate. The aromas leap out of the glass without any fading over a couple of hours. Glyceral and tart with terrific persistence. A remarkable and in my experience truly singular 12 year old Sancerre.
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3/29/2014 - BobJohnson1 Likes this wine:
Wow, truly amazing wine. Light gold, great acidity. A mouthful of rocks. So fresh for a 9 year old white. As time went by and the wine warmed it turned to lemon custard and some other almost tropical, yet restrained fruit. I wish I had more of this in the cellar. I enjoyed it more than many White Burgundies that cost 3 times as much. This is in prime time. If you have it, drink it!
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10/18/2013 - Dr AJ Likes this wine: 90 Points
A wonderful, bewitching, highly expressive wine. Aromas of coriander, aniseed, melon, lemon, white pepper, fragrant floral notes, and a spellbinding minerality. On the palate, a silky, rich glycerin texture counterpointed by searing, singing, reverberating acidity; a hint of residual sweetness offset by pronounced salinity and the gentle lift of background pepper accents; bracing lime, soft white stone fruits, apple, chalk, mint. A special, special wine, pure and natural and deeply mysterious somehow. And clearly made with integrity, creative intelligence, vision, and a touch of magic.
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10/14/2011 - Bogho wrote: 88 Points
Much more younger than I expected, the nose it's its best feature and it's all bright nuace of white mellon, gooseberry, anise amazing. Very fresh, medium saltiness, if it had have more body It'd be an outstanding wine.
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8/6/2011 - mdavis wrote:
Affected by pre-ox.
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4/6/2011 - xwine wrote:
The appearance and freshness of a two-year old wine, not seven. Nose is somewhat restrained, with a faint -- almost haunting -- citrus note; palate is loaded with minerals and fresh squeezed lemons. Clean and crisp finish. Excellent.
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2/17/2011 - Rupert Degas wrote:
I really don't know what to make of this wine. Perhaps it was oxidised, but the cork seems pretty intact. If it's flawed, then c'est la vie, but, honestly, if it's supposed to taste like this, I found it undrinkable. There were no tell-tale signs of Sauvignon Blanc (grapefruit, apple, acidity etc). Very odd and unpleasant to drink. Switched to a Torbreck Wooscutters Semillon to enjoy with the cheese plate.
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3/15/2010 - BigJul Likes this wine: 90 Points
Ma première expérience avec un vin de Cotat, que j’ai grandement appréciée. Agrumes, fruits à chair blanche, mangues, minéralité, litchi. Beaucoup de fruits, équilibrés par une belle acidité. M'a semblé encore bien jeune. Merci Michel. 90-91
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6/10/2009 - KevinS wrote: flawed
Slightly corked. Good stuff underneath, but flawed nonetheless...
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12/10/2008 - abh wrote:
So precise - clean mineral flavors, perfect terroir expression, a very lean, austere wine. Needs a while to open up properly but more giving than the 05 Grand Cote by some way.
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9/22/2008 - thomaskeil wrote: 90 Points
Light aromas of grapefruit, fresh-cut pear, chalk and flowers. Palate has medium-light fruit, loads of mineral and pretty stiff acidity. Alone hard to drink as it finishes tart, but with grilled ahi and eggplant this was great.
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9/15/2008 - xwine wrote:
Wow! Like drinking liquid, crushed stones. Intensely mineral, with very firm acidity. Does seem to fade rather quickly, however, so I'm not sure how much longer I'll keep my last bottle. But the first half-hour or so it was spectacular.
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8/23/2008 - KevinS wrote: 93 Points
This has transformed into fantastic stuff. Nose is somewhat subdued. On the palate, the first impression is that the bottle age has softened the acidity here markedly. What's left is very classy, indeed -- limes, talc, and nuanced minerality. 30+ second finish, with the minerality forward but the other flavors lingering. Warm, complex, drinking great -- a perfect example of what Loire Valley SB can be about...
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8/3/2008 - Mlermontov wrote: 89 Points
Jay's BBQ with Grammer in the house. (westchester): leesy, shy, citrusy (closed?) nice refreshing middle, minerals, but lacking the fun factor. perhaps just closed.
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6/29/2008 - JWG wrote: 90 Points
Lovely nose of floral elements and minerality. Grapefruit and lemon, with only moderate acidity and a lovely roundness, some unctuousness -- but due to the fruit itself and no evident wood. Long finish
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6/19/2008 - french16 wrote: 90 Points
Started very shy and needs time. Plenty of minerality, mango and lime on the nose. A little bit more restrained on the palate, med acidity, mineral, hint of exotic fruits and lemon with a lingering finish.
May enter a dumb phase. Wait a year.
Not as good as the 2005.
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1/21/2008 - joe d wrote: 85 Points
More "sancerre" than "Cotat" in this vintage as compared to the 2005 and 2002. Plenty of acid with good body if not the mouthfilling-ness of richer vintages. I've found that these leaner vintages of Cotat pick up body and texture with age, so will try to keep hands off at least one of my bottles.
My discrete CT scale: 95-extraordinary; 90-very good; 85-good; 80-fair; 75-poor
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1/5/2008 - JScott wrote: 84 Points
As with the prior bottles, a little loose and messy. While there's bright fruit left, it will never match the jagged acidity and I see this falling apart over the next two years. Drink now, serve chilled, on the patio, in the summer, with oysters.....move on to the next bottle.
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11/22/2007 - cs123 wrote: 90 Points
Drank with Thanksgiving dinner. No careful notes, but excellent.
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9/4/2007 - JScott wrote: 89 Points
Similar to the last experience. Just a little awkward to merit a higher score.
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9/3/2007 - xwine wrote:
Rather large-scale Sancerre. Huge minerality, with a delightful citrus note. Manages to be unctuous, yet bracing at the same time. Cleansing finish, very bright. Develops a distinctly chalky, limestone quality on the nose.
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6/4/2007 - JScott wrote: 89 Points
Bracing acidity and a tart citrusy flavor profile make this a real palate cleanser. Might be at the edge of lean in that regard for some, but I prefer structure. Has hints of pineapple.
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6/23/2006 - KPB wrote: 89 Points
Drinking well... has a very slight secondary fermentation. But: light straw with pale green hue. High-toned nose of citrus fruit, green apples. Tart/sweet in the mouth; very much a green-apple experience here.
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6/10/2006 - chefee1 wrote: 93 Points
Pale green straw. Huge nose of green papaya, guava, cape gooseberry, powdered stone, mint and pea sprouts. rich and creamy with a tactile stone and green fruit flavors and penetrating acids. This is not bistro Sancerre! The mineral flavors really coat the whole palate and the finsih is long, chewy and almost dusty. This is so singular and unique. Should live for 5 to 8 years easily..... Bravo.
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11/19/2005 - KPB wrote: 90 Points
This bottle exhibited a slight fizzy "bite" -- presumably a very minor secondary fermentation. Cleared when I decanted the bottle vigorously into a decanter and then back into the bottle.
The wine is a pretty straw with intense flavors and very good acidity. A very impressive Sancerre.
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8/14/2005 - Ben Andersen wrote:
No formal note. Tasted blind. Very typical Sancerre. Excellent. Tasted side by side with the '04 Pascal Cotat Mont Damnes, Pascal's wine seemed a little cleaner and perhaps slightly more "down the middle" in style, thought the two wines were very similar.
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