2023 Francois Cotat Sancerre Monts Damnes

From the steep, Kimmeridgian slopes that tower over Chavignol, Les Monts Damnés is François Cotat’s most chiseled and commanding expression of Sauvignon Blanc. It comes from a prized one-hectare plot on the famed “damned mountains” an insane slope of chalk and limestone that yields wines of intensity, drive, and age-worthy complexity.

The 2023 vintage is thrilling: bracing and saline, with a taut mineral spine that cuts through layers of citrus oil, orchard fruit, and wet stone. It’s Cotat through and through, unapologetically structured, fermented with wild yeasts, and aged in neutral old oak without fining, filtration, or sulphur.

This wine is built for the long haul. As it unwinds in bottle, the youthful bristle will soften into a textured, complex wine that more than nods to great white Burgundy. If you’re looking for a bottle that rewards patience, Monts Damnés is the one to lay down and revisit for decades.