FRENCH WINE

Clos Saint Jean Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc is produced from equal parts Grenache Blanc, Roussanne and Clairette. The wine is aged in a combination of new, French oak barrels and vats. The production is quite small with than less than 350 cases made per year.

JEB DUNNUCK 93 POINTS - " Review: "The whites here continue to improve. The 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Blanc offers a rocking bouquet of key lime pie, tangerine, and ripe peach that gives way to a powerful, opulent, medium to full-bodied white that has tons of flesh and texture, beautiful balance, and a great finish. This is a white for the dinner table."

Certified organic Vineyard

Just below the family's monopole Le Clos about 300 meters down the hill lies the terroir "Champagne." Approximately, 1.5 hectares of low yielding 70 to over 100 year old Gamay. The town considers this one of the finest terroirs in Fleurie.
As with all of Dutraive's vineyards, Terroir Champagne is organically farmed and worked by hand.
Carbonic maceration with no added sulfer and natural yeast.
Aging- one year in futs de chene (barrel). approximately 25% new.
Production 500 cases
Notes - Beaujolais like this is worth seeking out immediately.

Located in the western portion of the Sancerre appellation, Chavignol has a unique type of soil called, in French, “terres blanches.” The region is essentially a chalk plateau (the same vein as is found in Chablis) with clay and limestone soils. The top vineyards, ‘Monts Damnés,’ ‘Grande Côte,’ and ‘Les Culs de Beaujeu,’ are perched on steep hillsides with little topsoil. Cotat as a rule harvests by hand and very late, as pushing ripeness to the extreme is one element that gives these wines their weighty texture and complexity. While Cotat is not organically certified, his habits are more or less according to organic principles. He does not treat his vines with pesticides; uses only indigenous yeasts for fermentation; and follows the lunar cycle for racking. Wines are barrel-fermented in older demi-muids and aged in larger tonneaux. All wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Francois Cotat produces ageworthy Sancerre from his only 3 hectare estate at the heart of the prized Chavignol commune. Francois adopt a very traditional, non-interventionist approach. He racks according to the phases of the moon and the wines develop with age and, the very best vintages, can be cellared for more than 50 years.This 100% sauvignon blanc is grown on 45% steep slopes facing south / south-east. The nose is very ripe with green apple and tropical fruit aromas. The palate is dense and energized by crisp acidity. The balance is superb and the length amazing.

"Francois Cotat Sancerre: A must-have for the cellar

From gear head, to grape man. While Cotat's first passion may have been restoring old cars, wine-especially his family's Sauvignon Blanc-was a fast second.

No one can doubt that winemaking runs in the blood of the Cotat family. On the slopes of the Monts Damnés in Chavignol, the family has tended both Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir since the end of the second World War. It was only in the 1990s when two brothers, Paul and Francis, handed over the family domaine to their sons, Francois and Pascal, respectively. Today there are two Cotat domaines-one in Chavignol, headed by Francois, and one in Sancerre, run by Pascal. What sets these cousins apart is less important than what they share-a passion for natural winemaking and a truly amazing touch with Sauvignon. He believes in natural winemaking-the vast majority of his plots are cared for organically, often combining seaweed and other natural preparations to fertilize his vines. Harvest is never rushed; in fact, He harvests more than a week after every other winery in the region. Needless to say, extra maturity on the vine means extra body and complexity in the wine. Vineyards are located on very steep slopes, requiring a hand harvest that has become a bit of a pilgrimage for Cotat devotees. The steepest plots can only be worked by sliding down with a cushion tied to your rear while you hold the bucket in front of you. The cousins invented this amusing system, and pickers come from all over Europe every year to volunteer for the harvest.

Grapes from each vineyard plot are vinified separately. The Cotat family pioneered single-vineyard bottlings in Sancerre, and each terroir—whether "Les Monts Damnes" or "Grande Cote" - has its own unique personality. Soils share the same chalky heart as do those in Chablis. In general Pascal wines show a more luxurious, plush mouthfeel in combination with this balanced acidity. (François wines, in comparison, often show more flinty, Chablis-like notes.) Wines are always bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Cotat's wines truly benefit from age. While these wines are irresistible when they are young, one of the unique pleasures of putting down a few bottles is to later discover a rich, custard-like Sancerre that defies everything you would expect from racy Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc." - NORTH BERKELEY IMPORTS

White wine accounts for just 3% of Domaine Tempier’s total wine production. It is made from grapes grown on the estate’s finest vineyards which benefit from limited exposure to sunshine. This results in the grapes ripening slowly which allows the wine to mature with good balance after spending 8 to 10 months in oak casks. A blend of Clairette, Bourboulenc and Ugni Blanc; characterized by minerality, freshness, citrus fruit white blossoms. This white can be enjoyed now and up to 8 years from the vintage should you wish to experience the wine as it develops in bottle.