Central Vineyards

With its explosive red berry and floral aromas, this wine is a paean to Pinot – and to the vineyard’s Kimmeridgian clay-limestone soils. The palate is fine-boned and exceptionally refreshing. Denis chooses to raise his Pierres Plates Rouge exclusively in stainless steel, before bottling early – in the spring following harvest – to lock in the acidity and bright primary fruit.

A great match for salmon, white meat or charcuterie, not to mention meat or vegetable curries. Serve it lightly chilled. Drink now to 2022.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (spring 2019)

Sunny and seductive, with aromas of pear, lychee and ripe citrus. The full, rich palate flirts with excess, but only flirts – there’s racy acidity throughout. Try this with oriental dishes or a Caribbean curry.

Les Pierres Plates Blanc consistently outshines many wines from the more prestigious appellations of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. That’s no surprise when one considers the vineyard’s superb terroir. The 2017 is showing brilliantly now: it’s bright and expressive on the nose, with lashings of citrus fruit, as well as subtle tropical and savoury notes. The palate may be relatively round and generous, in keeping with the warm vintage, but there’s plenty of acidity, and a steely, mineral character to the long finish. This is impeccably balanced. Drink now to 2021.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (spring 2019)

La Rambarde’s bright, playful bouquet includes herbaceous, citrus and tropical fruit notes, while the palate is fresh and tense, with a saline, mineral finish. The 17 hectares of Domaine Landrat-Guyollat cover three distinct soil types (marl, limestone and flint), all of which are represented in this complex, engaging wine, expertly blended by winemaker Sophie Guyollot. Drink now to 2022.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (spring 2019) 

The nose is classic Pouilly-Fumé, with aromas of citrus, apple and grass, as well as a beguiling smoky note. The palate is relatively rich (owing to a warm vintage) yet fresh, with a long, mineral finish. This works a treat with dishes as diverse as goats’ cheese, oysters or tomates farcies.

Sancerre rosé from a quality producer like David Sautereau is a delightful, versatile wine that combines complexity with a sense of insouciance. David’s 2017 is a case in point. It’s characterised by floral and red berry aromas, fine tannins and “crunchy” acidity. A natural accompaniment to salads or poached salmon, it has sufficient personality to stand up to richer dishes too, such as Moroccan lamb tagine. Drink now to 2022.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (spring 2019)

This gorgeous Sancerre is blended from parcels across three soil types, primarily pebbly limestone. There’s a subtle tropical fruit aroma, as well as notes of ripe citrus and apple. Raised entirely in stainless steel, the palate is tense and mineral, with crisp acidity despite the warm vintage. A great apéritif and versatile food wine.

Thierry bottled his ’17 a little later than usual – in December ’18 – but this remains tightly wound, and may take a year or two to reach its apogee. For the time being, on the nose, varietal character plays second fiddle to the beguiling “marine” aromas we associate, primarily, with Chablis – just a (lime)stone’s throw away. A wine of real class and complexity, which unfurls regally in the glass, and will continue to do so in the bottle over the next five years. Drink now to 2024.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (spring 2019)

Tenth-generation winemaker David Sautereau has produced an exemplary Sancerre, with aromas of white pepper, grass, citrus and tropical fruit. There’s texture and acidity aplenty, and a saline, “oyster shell” character to the palate, which David attributes to the fossil-rich soils around the village of Crézancy.

This is drinking brilliantly now, but consider tucking it away for five years, then marvel at its combination of complexity and evergreen freshness. Drink now to 2024.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (spring 2019)

This is an exemplary Sancerre, raised in a combination of stainless steel and large oak foudres, which add breadth to the palate but no discernible oaky aromas – indeed, the nose is a paean to Sauvignon Blanc, with aromas including grass, gooseberry and passionfruit. There’s a slight smoky character to the long, fresh finish. A memorable match for warm goats’ cheese.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant, summer 2018.

Philippe Séguin is the fourth generation of winemakers at this family estate located in Pouillysur- Loire, the village located across the river from Sancerre and famous for its smoky (fumé) style of Sauvignon Blanc. This is the property’s top wine, made from their oldest vines planted on all three of the region’s soil types (marl, limestone and flint).

This is explosively aromatic with notes of grapefruit, peach and white flowers. The palate offers surprising breadth, with a rounded mouth-feel and crisp acidity. While it is enjoyable when young, the wine will develop a beguiling gun-smoke and anise character with a couple of years in bottle. Drink now to 2022.

The grapes for this cuvée are from the domaine’s oldest vines, giving a dense concentrated wine, with powerful aromas of ripe citrus and tropical fruit. Twelve months on the lees in large, neutral oak foudres intensify rather than temper its exuberance. It’s fuller-bodied than most Sancerres, so makes a winning accompaniment to cheese soufflé. It also ages well, so enjoy now (summer 2018) and over the next five years.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant, summer 2018.

A classically pure and restrained white true to Andre Dezat’s style. It shows nuances of chalk and smoky flint on the nose and the palate has a lovely zing with leafy gooseberry and citrus fruit, moving to a pleasingly long and clean finish focussing on smoky minerality. The clement 2015 vintage has provided a reasonable full body and therefore this will be the perfect partner to meaty white fish such as Monkfish or Halibut.

Just as Les Culs de Beaujeu is all about quiet velvety charm, so Les Monts Damnes is very much the crunchy one; broad, square quivering, it's perhaps Francois's most classic expression of Sancerre wine. In 2009 there's a marzipan richness about this wine, balanced by a distinctly pebble nettle character.

Francois Cotat has four plots among this large but consistently fine vineyard; a vineyard that stretches the breadth of the village's eastern escarpment, so facing west. Containing vines of approx. 30 yo, it's a wine that will grow grow, but should be drinkable from 2014/5.

The 2009 vintage was influenced by hail, draught hence an earlier smaller than average harvest, this is one of those rich sunny years where the personality of the vintage comes through stronger than that of the vineyard. Though Francois Cotat's 2009s come in at c. 15% abv they are balanced by the inherent minerality of his exceptional vineyards. (Such has been the climatic change that Francois hasn't needed to chaptalise since the 2004 vintage.)

Francois Cotat continues to make wine as his father Paul did; the domaine being born out of the split with Pascal Cotat in 1988. Francois joined the tiny but perfectly sited property in 1999, continuing to hand-harvest the fruit that is then vinified using wild yeasts aged in 80 yo oak barrels without any intervention. Francois reasons that the use of wild as opposed to selected yeasts enable his to be more digestible reflective of their origins. Neither fined nor filtered Francois continues to judicious levels of sulphur to guide the wines to full maturity. He follows the lunar cycle.
(David Berry Green) 

Nose very closed. Real richness here – definitely noticeable sugar (9g/l). Fruit and general feeling of weightiness, balanced with searing acidity. Reminiscent of a Savennières wine. A perception of warmth but everything works well. A big wine in all senses, rendering it beautifully balanced. Needs time, but will be the star of  François Cotat’s 2012 wines.
Adam Bruntlett

Sancerre La Grande Côte is the summit of Francois Cotat’s range, and justly so, from a magical vineyard on the border of Chavignol and Amigny, the 2012 example is taut, leesy, pure salin, delicate, more generous on the palate but also more structured, more unresolved, more complicated, less prepared to embrace you. Needs plenty of time, drink from 2017 to 2027.
David Berry Green