From a revered one-hectare plot on the vertiginous slopes of Les Monts Damnés in Chavignol, François Cotat’s 2023 Sancerre is a commanding and age-worthy expression of Sauvignon Blanc. The Cotat family has tended vines here since 1947, and François (at the helm of this tiny 4-hectare domaine since 1990) continues to craft wines of singular character through meticulous vineyard work and minimal intervention in the cellar. With 8000 vines per hectare, ultra-low yields, and a harvest typically later than his peers, Cotat draws remarkable intensity from this Kimmeridgian terroir. Fermented with wild yeasts and aged in old oak without fining, filtration, or sulphur during fermentation, the 2023 vintage is bracing and saline, tightly coiled around a mineral core, with layers of citrus oil, orchard fruit, and wet stone. Profoundly structured and built for decades in the cellar, this is a thrilling and iconic Sancerre—perhaps the finest expression of this legendary cru.