Established on the family estate in Chavignol, Sancerre, since 1979, François Cotat has managed the family business since 1998. It is one of the most sought-after estates among wine lovers, with almost all of the wines reserved from one year to the next. The 5 hectares are spread across some of Chavignol's most vertiginous slopes: Mont Damnés, La Grand Côte, Cul de Beaujeu, and Les Caillottes. François Cotat's style is unique. He relies on late harvests of overripe grapes, resulting in very mature wines, sometimes marked by a touch of residual sugar, perfectly balanced by the vibrant energy of the terroir. The wines are built for long aging and can withstand the test of time for decades. The winemaking methods are decidedly traditional, as evidenced by the family's spartan cellar. The method hasn't changed for ages: manual harvesting, no yeast inoculation, two rackings, no filtration and early bottling before summer.