My first encounter with the wines of Maxime Cottenceau and I was quite impressed, especially given the price and ageworthiness.
COTTENCEAU TASTING - Taishan, San Francisco (6/27/2025)
Village Whites
- 2022 Domaine Cottenceau Givry Champ Pourot Blanc - France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Givry
Nice nose, but a bit straightforward and more generic, at least at first. With air, this became a lot more interesting and started to show some very mineral forward flavors and citrus. Good acidity on the palate with similar flavors. It started out a bit simple and easy drinking but towards the end of the night became a bit more complex. Should benefit from a bit of bottle age. 90++ (90 points) - 2022 Domaine Cottenceau Montagny Les Dazés - France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Montagny
A big step up for me and my favorite in this flight. This has more weight and richness and the oak is slightly noticeable, but balanced. Nose of lemon, citrus, green apple, and a bit of reduction. Nice acidity on the palate with good weight and slightly rounder mouthfeel, flavors of lemon, grapefruit, flint, and minerals. Nice finish. This was quite impressive and in need of age. 93+ (93 points) - 2022 Domaine Cottenceau Montagny Les Préaux - France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Montagny
This had nice depth with slightly creamier notes, a bit of lemon, and orchard fruit. Nice acidity on the palate with minerals, apples, a hint of stone fruit, and a slightly lactic note. Feels slightly riper than the other two wines in this flight. Good finish that lingers. Very enjoyable, should only improve with age. (92 points)
1er Cru Whites
- 2022 Domaine Cottenceau Montagny 1er Cru Les Bassets - France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Montagny 1er Cru
Good intensity on the nose with minerals, citrus, a hint of popcorn, and a bit of lactic notes. Nice acidity and good balance on the palate with more citrus, stone fruit, riper tones, and minerals. Good finish. I feel that this is not showing everything today, but the material is quite promising. 92++ (92 points) - 2022 Domaine Cottenceau Montagny 1er Cru Montcuchot - France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Montagny 1er Cru
Fragrant nose with a hint of peach, lemons, minerals, some pear, and a bit of reduction. Medium acidity with a little riper flavors compared to the other wines, more peach, lemon, and some dry extract. Nice finish. Lovely wine that feels bit weightier and rounder but with enough acidity to keep it in check. Should age quite well. 93+ (93 points) - 2022 Domaine Cottenceau Montagny 1er Cru Les Vignes Longues - France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Montagny 1er Cru
My favorite of this flight. Lovely nose with more subtle notes of minerals, a hint of anise / pastis, lemon, and flint. Great acidity with interesting flavors of lemon, lime, minerals, crushed rocks, and flint. This seems to have a bit more going on with nice intensity and quite long finish. Beautiful wine that feels prettier and a bit more refined right now. (94 points)
Ligher reds (aka Lienhardt Intermission)
- 2021 Domaine Antoine Lienhardt Côte de Nuits Villages Les Plantes aux Bois - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Côte de Nuits Villages
Really lovely nose that jumps out of the glass with obvious stemmy notes, strawberries, and cherries. Nice acidity on the palate with underwood notes and more strawberry and berry flavors. Nice finish. Very light, beautiful wine that showed best right after opening and closed down slightly with air. Great showing, especially if you like this style! (93 points) - 2022 Domaine Antoine Lienhardt Côte de Nuits Villages Les Essards - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Côte de Nuits Villages
Very fragrant nose with spices, cherries, roses, and strawberry notes. Good acidity on the palate with more structure than the 21 Plantes, flavor of tart cherries, unripe strawberries, and a hint of tomato leaf. With air, the flavors turned a bit riper and less tart. Nice finish that lingers. I really enjoyed this and it showed really well on the second day. (93 points)
Darker Reds
- 2022 Domaine Cottenceau Bourgogne Les Chazelles - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne
Interesting nose with savory notes, darker fruit, and berries. Good acidity on the palate with quite a bit of tannic structure, more berries, dark cherries, and earth. Good finish. A nice, classically styled Bourgogne with quite a bit of extraction that feels like it needs a bit of time to fully integrate. Should age well for 5-7 years. 90+ (90 points) - 2020 Saisons Savigny-lès-Beaune - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune
Quite dark flavor profile on the nose, showing cherries, blackberries, and a bit of spice. The palate was quite different with sweeter fruit, lots of cherries, a hint of underwood, and primary red and dark fruit. Medium finish. A nice wine that clearly shows the vintage. I generally prefer a bit more lift in Burgundy, but this just may need some time... (91 points)
