For years I avoided Sauvignon Blanc like the plague. I blame the kiwis. Too much Villa Maria turned me off the stuff almost for life. And then I tried Vatan, thanks to the Crush Crew.
It difficult to believe that its the same grape. An eye opening experience. So much so that I blew through half a case of the 07 in double quick time and my wife was greedily eyeing my three bottles of the 06 that I was desperately trying to preserve for proper aging.
Reinforcements were needed…I happened in to Chambers Street Wines last week to see what they had. They were out of the 07 Vatan (I did grab a couple of 08s) but they did have some of Pascal Cotat’s Grande Cote 07.
And its delicious. A nose that smells of summer…Pineapple, some flowers and, I swear, baled hay. People with seasonal affective disorder should be prescribed this in the depths of winter.
There’s the pineapple thing again on the palate, but also this unmistakable salinity on the finish which goes on for ages. Its incredibly bracing but at the same time it goes on and on. I’d never have thought that a Sauvignon Blanc could be described as “satisfying” but that’s the word that comes to mind.
Can anybody shed any light on the relationship (if any) between Francois Cotat and Pascal Cotat?
I got hooked on the Loire a couple of years ago and probably 90% of my whites are from there. I plan to happily retire with a stack of cases of aged Huet chenin to sip on.
Yes, domaine François Cotat makes wonderful wine and it’s the only Sauvignon Blanc I know to date which can actually age and improve (the late Didier Dagueneau made wines in Pouilly which would last for a decade in good years, but I don’t think they developed much). It is the only Sauvignon Blanc I really like other than everyday quaffers. I still think SB isn’t a noble variety, but the Cotats make a compelling argument to the contrary.
Anyhoo, IIRC François and Pascal are cousins who split up the domaine of their grandfather and have gone their separate ways since the beginning of the century, due to a blazing row over a non-disclosed subject. From what I’ve been told -you can’t really ask French wine-making families about these issues- Pascal has been drifting away stylistically from the old ways of the domaine, which François still adheres to. He now uses some new oak, for instance.
Both Cotat’s make great wines. It seems lately people have a slight preference for Francois, but I have had great success with both. I opened an 05 last week and it was still very young but quite delicious. I need to restock.
Thanks for the link Keith. Great info.
I’ve been drinking their wines for years, and early-on thought I had a preference for Pascal’s wines. Of late, they seem largely indistinguishable to me. Unfortunately, the price for both keep inching up.
I wonder if any of you Loire-heads can give me a general idea of the vintage quality and characteristics for the past five or six years. Wines from both Cotat houses are available round here going back to around 2004, and this information would come in handy as I am planning to explore some of these wines.
Thanks to all, especially Keith, for the feedback.
Had an 08 Vatan Neore this evening (this guy has “last vintages” the way Frank Sinatra had farewell tours…which is a good thing). I didn’t spend much time pondering it, but its youthful vigor was taut, refreshing and most welcome on an 80 degree sunday night in NY.
Now, the most vital question of all - are there similarly interesting bottles of Sancerre in the $25 region?