2023 Corty Artisan Sancerre “Les Monts Damnes”

Full bottle 1,348 g. Les Monts Damnés, named after its steep slopes which roast in the summer, is Sancerre's most famous 'grand cru'. Spontaneous fermentation ('it went on forever!' says Arnaud Moreux. 'Our new oenologist went crazy. She kept saying we should add yeast. "Are you sure this will work without adding yeast?" "Yes, it will work. I am sure. I did not invent this method. My grandfather did it this way. It's not new!"' He grins and then adds, 'She arrived as an oenologist. She is now becoming a winemaker.' Less than 2,000 bottles produced per year. A little smoky, an elusive sweetness on the nose that for a split second smells like Turkish delight, and then dried guava and then ylang ylang. So very silky that it seems to sashay across the mouth with languid insolence. And just like it smells, there is a perplexing but entrancing confluence of flavours on the palate, starting with toastiness and buttery roasted almonds which quickly become drenched in the ripest of stone fruit – honeyed greengage, nectar-sweet mirabelle, spicy nectarine. The finish circles back to flowers and heady, musky perfume ... iris, jasmine, neroli. Liquorice grace note. Right at the very end, a pebble dropped into a deep, cold, still pool. (TC)