Was going to title the TN: “Welcome Back Cotat”…in homage Jeremy Holmes! ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers")
-
2016 Domaine François Cotat (Paul & François) Sancerre Les Culs de Beaujeu - France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre (3/13/2019)
LOVE these wines…SO crystalline and bright with citrus, chiseled with rocks and minerality…the freshest freshness! The 14 of this wine is my benchmark Cotat…probably the finest I’ve had from them…the saline minerality and chalkiness are insane! The 16 shows less than 14, but still possesses that pure crystalline citrus, SO much tension and energy…pretty blossom florals, lemon grass, chive, rock melon, pear, green apple tartness. LOVE the limestone chalk in these, little white pepper dust, nuanced sea air funk…puckering lemon and spice finish. Would love to see how these are with some age on them…but they’re TOO good young, so I keep drinking them! (94 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
Have you tried the 17 yet? I heard it was a broader vintage. Love these wines too!
Similarly love Lucien Crochet Sancerre Le Cul de Beaujeu and have slightly preferred it over Cotat. Both incredible wines. Crochet’s are hard to find here in California.
mmmmm … Cotat … yummmm!!! Is the Les Culs de Beaujeu your favorite bottling of his, Buzz?
Great note. This (almost) magical feeling that your note conveys is how I feel drinking F. Cotat’s Culs de Beaujeu as well. Especially from cooler vintages. Love it. So much so that I’ve been contemplating swapping all of my Grand Côte for Culs de Beaujeu as over the years I clearly have overbought the former and underbought the latter.
And BTW you definitely should age them. 1996, 2002, 2004. 2008, 2010 are all outstanding.
Opened a 2016 F Cotat Monts Damnes tonight and it was incredible. Actually drinking wide open and ready to go. I love this vineyard for the tension between ripeness and acidity. I even like it in vintages where you get a little RS, not sure if 2016 is in that camp or not yet.
Was surprised this was so open. Had a 2009 a few weeks ago that tasted WAY younger and was just barely opening up on day 3.
What is everyone else’s experience with Cotat? Do they have a good early window and then close down a few years? I’ve had a handful of older bottles (10 years?) and honestly all the bottles with 2-4 years were way more open
I think it really depends on the vintage… unhelpful though that answer is. For instance, '09 was wide open on release whereas '10 was closed; and today, that dynamic has somewhat reversed. But I think 20+ years is really the sweet spot. They also respond well to extended aeration.
The ‘09 was one of the bottles I had recently that was totally closed. Extended aeration - how much time are we talking here?
Two- to three-hour decant. Or more. 2006s I am liking with a 24 hour double decant, left in the cellar.
That’s interesting. My issue with 2006 F. Cotat has been balance, rather than lack of openness, especially tasted next to cooler vintages. Do they pull together with a very long decant?
I agree and yes, they do.
Nice note and beautiful photography! More than once I have admired your photographs of bottle, resting cork, and wine in glass, in the cellar, BB.
I was puzzled seeing the name “Les Culs de Beaujeu” compared to Gerard Boulay’s name of "Clos de Beaujeau which I am familiar with. Was going to ask about it, but decided to do a little research myself. The gist of it seems to be “Les Culs de Beaujeu” (or “Le Cul”) refers to the entire vineyard of that name. Cul is variously translated as “end” ,like the end of a road - “cul de sac”, or as hill(s), which seems a less plausible meaning to me. Boulay’s holdings are in the part of the vineyard where the original walled off portion of the vineyard (the “Clos”) was way back when (apparently back to the 1300’s). ) FWIW
Was inspired by this thread to hunt down a bottle of this and try it. Found the 2016 Les Monts Damne and gave it a try. THis was very interesting with citrus and freshness, with the overt sweetness and tartness of New World Sauvignon Blanc. Great chalky minerality to it, too. Left some in the bottle for the next day and I seemed to like it more. What a treat!
BUT, I then discovered it was the Pascal Cotat, not the Francois Cotat. Since this is my first Cotat, I have no knowledge of differences between the two. Can anyone give some general style differences between these two producers?
Opened a 2009 F Cotat Grande Côte earlier today and wasn’t sure what to make of it. Seemed very ripe and all out of sorts with some RS (which I am generally ok with). Wasn’t the sweetness that threw me off as much as the lack of balance. Was ok with food but didn’t hit the spot for me
had a 2004 François Cotat Sancerre Les Monts Damnés a couple of months ago that was quite good and perfectly mature. Did not have to do a lot with it. Just pour and drink.
