Ever since Vatan was shared with me, I’ve had a mild fascination with Sancerre, since the Vatan legitimately exceeded any expectations I might have had. Since I cannot afford much Vatan, I’ve looked at ‘mini-Vatans’ such as Cotat, and thus I read this article with some anticipation. I’ve heard of Vacheron and Riffault, but not terribly much. Perhaps part of my fever with Vatan is that it is made of ‘lowly’ Sauvignon Blanc, which I now know can be more expressive in aromas than most other wines I enjoy. Guessing Sancerre may start to have its day in the limelight soon, if not already…
Paywalled so I didn’t read and maybe I’m missing the point if it was to say there is an increasing emphasis on terroir. I will say Sancerre was one of our biggest sellers and while I had a good one, it was fairly generic compared to Vatan and Cotat. That was more than 10 years ago. I know the current importer and it remains one of his best sellers. It’s just an incredibly popular category. The grower charges the same as their PF and we both charged more for the Sancerre and it still sold something like 10-1 on the PF. Maybe even more like 20-1. Sancerre itself is a brand.
I’m generally not the biggest Sauvignon fan but when they come from Chavignol it’s a different story. Give Bouley a try if you haven’t already. Reasonably priced. Hints of white Burg with the Kimmeridgian Chavignol soil.
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I’m working on getting some WB access to premium articles on Decanter, hopefully that pans out!
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I’m vaguely aware that Chablis is having a moment right now; wouldn’t be surprised if Sancerre gets their 15 minutes next.
… and keep your paws off Cotat!
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Ooops. Boulay with an a. Just don’t want to send you searching for wrong thing.
Sweetcakes, I have more Vatan for you!!
Did you like Cotat? It can be excellent.