Pascal Cotat Mont Damnes Chavignol Sancerre 2024

Pascal Cotat farms a small parcel of old Sauvignon Blanc on the steep south-facing slope of Les Monts Damnés, the most storied vineyard in Chavignol. Kimmeridgian limestone and clay, almost no topsoil, and a hillside steep enough that everything is worked by hand. The fruit is harvested very late, fermented with native yeasts in old foudres, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. The wine that comes out is dense, smoky, and saline, with citrus pith and ripe orchard fruit on the nose and a long mineral finish. Drinkable now with a decant, but built for a decade or more in the cellar.