Patient Cottat Le Grand Caillou Pinot Noir 2020
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Young garnet Nose: Scents of sweet strawberry fruit, dried honey, and hints of pepper overlay subtle red fruits . Palate: Cranberry and red currant flavors on the palate. A delicate wine with real finesse.
Other Vintages
2019-
Panel
Tasting
The story of Patient Cottat goes back generations of winemakers in the Loire Valley. It all began in 1950 with Paul Fournier in the renowned winegrowing village of Verdigny. Since 2015, the Villebois family has continued to enhance and perpetuate the efforts of Patient Cottat’s original owners, following sustainable practices and continuously working to ensure the winery is as successful as possible as they move forward into the future.
Patient Cottat was a famous "Master Goldsmith" in mid-19th century France. Born in Paris, he loved the Berry region of the central Loire Valley. His legacy is perpetuated through the Grand Caillou and Anciennes Vignes ranges of selected traditional Loire wines.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
A small category representing the wines that either fall outside of appellation lines or don’t subscribe to the law and traditions set forth by the French government within certain classified appellations, “Vin De France” is a catch-all that includes some of the most basic French wines as well as those of superior quality. The category includes large production, value-driven wines. It also includes some that were made with a great deal of creativity, diligence and talent by those who desire to make wine outside of governmental restrictions. These used to be called Vin de Table (table wine) but were renamed to compete with other European countries' wines of similar quality.