Domaine François Cotat

One must distinguish between François Cotat and Pascal Cotat, who are cousins. The Cotat name was raised to mythical levels by Paul Cotat, Francois’ father. Paul loved very ripe grapes, and in hot vintages, he proudly made sought-after cuvées of semi-dry whites. François also harvests his grapes at high levels of ripeness. The soil in the town of Chavignol is composed of Kimmeridgian limestone which, as in Chablis, bestows longevity upon the wines. The strong identity of François Cotat’s wines is due as much to the glorious terroir itself as to the domaine’s patient manual harvesting. The domaine also knows a thing or two about pressurage and élevage. To discover the full potential of these mythical wines requires keeping a few bottles of Grande Côte, Culs de Beaujeu or Monts Damnés in the cellar for about twenty years.