François Cotat Sancerre AOC Caillottes 2022

The Cotat family has garnered a reputation for producing truly extraordinary sauvignon blanc. Their estate is located in Chavignol in the western part of Sancerre, where the family has grown sauvignon blanc and pinot noir since the end of WWII. In the 1990s, the two Cotat brothers, Paul and Francis, handed over the reins to their sons, François and Pascal. The cousins both craft wines from older sauvignon blanc vines on Chavignol’s chalk plateau. They farm organically without the use of pesticides, ferment with indigenous yeasts, and rack according to the lunar cycle. Wines are barrel-fermented in older demi-muids and aged in larger tonneaux, and are bottled unfined and unfiltered. ‘Caillottes’ means “little stones” and this remarkable cuvée comes from a vineyard with thin, rocky limestone soils, planted to younger vines. A stunning example of grace and verve, this deftly balances notes of lime zest, white pepper, sweet yellow fruit and hints of grapefruit pith on a firm mineral core. This displays a mouthwatering energy that practically shimmers on the palate, while still offering a treasure trove of depth and complexity throughout. That vibrance and subtlety is carried throughout the impossibly long finish. Organically grown, low-intervention/natural wine, vegan.