The words that form the title of this particular post were the very same words uttered by one Alphonse Mellot in response to an innocent question asked by one’s better half during a visit to Domaine Alphonse Mellot several years ago.
The stern riposte uttered by the nineteenth generation Alphonse Mellot certainly applies to Pascal Cotat’s Sancerre Blanc ‘Les Monts Damnés’, for it is a wine that is not Sauvignon Blanc as many conventionally know it. Forget ‘cat’s pee round a gooseberry bush’, forget nettles, forget cut grass. This is not a fruity wine nor is it a herbaceous example of its type. The word ‘minerality’ is one all too often used in the world of wine, yet there is no other descriptor that will do the wine justice.
This is Sancerre that smells and tastes of wet stones, Sancerre of a style that only great growers like cousins Pascal and Francois Cotat can produce. With holdings on the steep slopes of ‘Les Monts Damnés’ and ‘La Grande Côte’, the Cotat’s tend to pick later than most other growers in Sancerre. Winemaking favours traditional methods, including the use of seasoned oak and bottling without fining or filtration. The result is wines that speak of their place of origin more than a particular grape variety.
The 2006 vintage of ‘Les Monts Damnés’is still in its flush of youth, quite tight and yet to unfurl. While perhaps not in the league of truly great wines under this label (the 2010 tasted recently looks to be a real winner), it should improve in bottle for at least 3-4 years.
2006 SANCERRE BLANC ‘LES MONTS DAMNÉS’
Producer: Pascal Cotat
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2006
Region: Loire Valley, France
ABV: 13.0%
Closure: Natural Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: N/a
Date tasted: 19 May 2012
Tasting Note:
Pale silvery lemon. Intriguing nose of wet pebbles, flint and lemon pith. Dry, medium bodied, savoury, most definitely not ‘fruit-driven’ wine. Like licking wet stones. Touch of tannin on the finish, suggesting skin contact. Bright acidity. Good length. A work in progress at this stage in its life. Needs at least 3-4 years.
Score: 17+/20
The stern riposte uttered by the nineteenth generation Alphonse Mellot certainly applies to Pascal Cotat’s Sancerre Blanc ‘Les Monts Damnés’, for it is a wine that is not Sauvignon Blanc as many conventionally know it. Forget ‘cat’s pee round a gooseberry bush’, forget nettles, forget cut grass. This is not a fruity wine nor is it a herbaceous example of its type. The word ‘minerality’ is one all too often used in the world of wine, yet there is no other descriptor that will do the wine justice.
This is Sancerre that smells and tastes of wet stones, Sancerre of a style that only great growers like cousins Pascal and Francois Cotat can produce. With holdings on the steep slopes of ‘Les Monts Damnés’ and ‘La Grande Côte’, the Cotat’s tend to pick later than most other growers in Sancerre. Winemaking favours traditional methods, including the use of seasoned oak and bottling without fining or filtration. The result is wines that speak of their place of origin more than a particular grape variety.
The 2006 vintage of ‘Les Monts Damnés’is still in its flush of youth, quite tight and yet to unfurl. While perhaps not in the league of truly great wines under this label (the 2010 tasted recently looks to be a real winner), it should improve in bottle for at least 3-4 years.
2006 SANCERRE BLANC ‘LES MONTS DAMNÉS’ Producer: Pascal Cotat
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2006
Region: Loire Valley, France
ABV: 13.0%
Closure: Natural Cork
Format: 750ml
Retail price: N/a
Date tasted: 19 May 2012
Tasting Note:
Pale silvery lemon. Intriguing nose of wet pebbles, flint and lemon pith. Dry, medium bodied, savoury, most definitely not ‘fruit-driven’ wine. Like licking wet stones. Touch of tannin on the finish, suggesting skin contact. Bright acidity. Good length. A work in progress at this stage in its life. Needs at least 3-4 years.
Score: 17+/20
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