Pascal Cotat, Sancerre “Les Monts Damnés”

Let’s first address the elephant in the room: The price went up. I wasn’t happy about it. My colleagues weren’t happy about it. Even Cotat’s own importer wasn’t happy about it. We grumbled before pulling the cork, caviled after pouring the wine, and kicked up a fuss while swirling. But that was the last negative sound we uttered because Pascal Cotat’s 2021 “Monts Damnés” is a unanimous Top-Five white wine of the year for us. Period.Among the most precipitous and highly desirable vineyards in Sancerre, if not the entire Loire Valley, “The Damned Mountains” is an iconic cru that delivers a super-rare, tightly allocated, investment-grade collectible in the hands of Pascal Cotat. Vintage after vintage, he delivers a lush and explosively mineral Sauvignon Blanc powerhouse that’ll go 12 rounds with Dagueneau’s $175 “Silex.” Says Robert Parker, “Cotat produces old-style Sancerre...rich, full-flavored...they are some of the finest Sauvignon Blancs I have ever put to my lips.” And this 2021 is