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Alphonse Mellot

The Mellot family, or at least the name, is not one new to viticulture and winemaking in and around Sancerre. The earliest records, which date from the beginning of the 16th Century, in 1513 to be precise, reveal their presence in the cellars and vineyards around the town, tending the vines and making the wines. And as the years marched by the family remained prominent in this arena, perhaps reaching a high point with the appointment of César Mellot as wine advisor to Louis XIV in 1698. Nevertheless, it is the name of Alphonse Mellot that today holds most resonance with Sancerre savants. During the 19th Century Alphonse established a tavern in Sancerre, giving him a firm foothold in the local wine trade; on the back of this he built up a market for the local wine throughout France and beyond. Such was his standing within the family that his descendents continue to bear his name, and today the 18th and 19th generations of the family - both Alphonse - control the business that grew out of the little tavern.

Alphonse senior came to take control of the estate in 1970, and was instrumental in steering the family business away from bulk wine towards a smaller, more focused affair, with an ethos of quality rather than volume. Hence today the vineyard owned by the family is a manageable 47 hectares or thereabouts, cared for using organic methods since the turn of the century, although the Mellots had been following agriculture raisonnée prior to that. In latter years it has, however, been Alphonse junior that has taken the lead, and today the duo work together to make and promote these wines.

The Domaine de la Moussière

The principal white wines of Alphonse Mellot are sourced from a single vineyard covering more than 35 hectares, the Domaine de la Moussière, which has a favourable south and south-west exposure, and is situated just to the south-west of Sancerre. The soil is a Saint Doulchard marl, which appears to be another term for the Kimmeridgien marls (or terres blanches) that characterise some areas of Sancerre as well as Pouilly-Fumé and, of course, Chablis. The vines are planted at a density of at least 8000 vines/ha, although almost 14 hectares are planted at an impressive 10000 vines/ha. They are pruned according to the Guyot or Royat Cordon methods, initially cared for along organic lines as indicated above, although in recent years the domaine has gone over to biodynamism, hence my encounter in early 2008 with the 2007 vintage - as in my tasting notes below - at the Biodyvin tasting at Chateau Fonroque in Bordeaux (not where I was expecting to find a line-up of biodynamic wines from across the Loire). The wines made from this vineyard start with the entry-level cuvée La Moussière, which is produced using the fruit of 34 hectares of vines both young and old, ranging from four to forty years, harvested by hand (as is the case for all these Sancerres) and with a typical yield of 53 hl/ha. After harvest the fruit is transported in small 25 kg crates, sorted on a table and then moved into the winery on conveyor belt. The fruit is pressed and then cooled whilst it settles, before temperature-controlled fermentation half in vat and half in new wooden casks, the end result amounting to an impressive 20000 cases.

There is also an old vines cuvée, Les Romains, and there then follows two special cuvées of white Sancerre, starting with the Generation XIX, a cuvée named for 19 generations of the Mellot family. This is produced from 6 hectares of 87 year-old vines at a yield of 45 hl/ha, and then transported, sorted and handled as above, although fermentation takes place in 900 litre vats, where the wine also rests on its lees usually for between 10 and 12 months prior to bottling. There are just 500 cases produced. And the last of the white quartet is Cuvée Edmond, sourced from vines ranging between 40 and 87 years-old with a slightly lower yield of 41 hl/ha. Again it is the fermentation process that also marks this wine as different, with 60% fermented in new oak, the remainder split evenly between one year- and two year-old casks. The wine then rests on its lees for up to 14 months, before bottling; expect there to be about 2100 cases available in a typical vintage.

Red Sancerre

Driving back to our hotel from the second day of the Salon de Vins de Loire in early 2009, I and my companions, writers Jim Budd and Sarah Ahmed, and Tom King of London's RSJ restaurant, which specialises in the wines of the Loire, were reflecting on out high points of the day. For me it was undoubtedly Alphonse Mellot's red Sancerres; these were wines unlike any I had ever before tasted from this appellation. Rich, deeply coloured, but also fresh, incisive and characterful, true to both the variety in question but also the appellation, I opined "how can red Sancerre be this good?" It was a personal assessment that has been solidly lodged within my memory ever since.

The wines in question, Alphonse Mellot's red cuvées, also begin with La Moussière, which comes from 5.5 hectares of vines in the vineyard of the same name, aged between 5 and 45 years, planted at 9-10000 vines/ha, and with a yield of 32 hl/ha. The fermentation process takes place in 60 hl wooden vats, beginning with a cold maceration lasting between 5 and 10 days, followed by alcoholic fermentation with punching down of the cap. The wine then goes into new oak, somewhere between 80-100% would be the norm, for between 10 to 18 months. There is also a rosé at this level, produced from the same plot.

It is with the red cuvées higher up the scale that we move away from this vineyard, as the red Generation XIX is sourced from a 1 hectare plot of older vines on Saint Doulchard marls, quite distinct from the La Moussière vines. Yields again tell a tale of quality here, a typical value being 21 hl/ha (and the vines are planted at 10000 vines/ha in this section of the vineyard), and following a cold soak for up to 12 days the fermentation takes place in 45 hectolitre vats. Afterwards the wine is pressed and then transferred to new oak casks where malolactic fermentation occurs. After 14 months here the wine is bottled, with a production of just over 200 cases. Similar treatment is afforded to La Demoiselles, the next red cuvée which is sourced from a 1.2 hectare plot (with the planting density at 9000 vines/ha) on flinty clay soils, with yields of 26 hl/ha and fermentation and then ageing in oak typically for about 14 months. There are typically 250 cases produced per annum. Finally, at least for Sancerre, there is En Grands Champs, sourced from a small plot of Buzançais limestone soil at the top of the Moussière vineyard. Yields are about 24 hl/ha, and again this cuvée sees fermentation and ageing in oak. Production here is limited to about 250 cases.

Finally, no review of Domaine Alphonse Mellot would be complete without mentioning Les Pénitents, the two most recent additions to the range. These are wines produced at the vin de pays level, from chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Having tasted the 2007 Chardonnay alongside the 2007 Sancerres it seemed to me that the wine spoke more of its origins, its terroir, than the grape variety. I haven't tasted its red stablemate as yet, but if the quality matches that found in the white then it will be a worthy and good value addition to the range.

The wines of Alphonse Mellot are ones which, I confess, have crept up on me. I have had the occasion over the years to try the occasional white, the occasional rosé, and found them very good. But it is only now, as I collate my notes and write-up new ones, on the 2007 and more recent vintages, and previous vintages of La Moussière, notably the 2005 and 2006, that my eyes have finally been opened to the excellent quality here. This is a fine domaine which turns out exciting wines and I would rank them, if not at the top, then very close to the top of the entire appellation. And this is all the more remarkable when one considers the good value to be found in La Moussière, the entry-level high volume wine. This is one that I will be buying and drinking more of, I am sure. (20/5/08, updated 1/9/09)

Contact details:
Address: 18300 Sancerre
Telephone: +33 (0) 2 48 54 07 41
Fax: +33 (0) 2 48 54 07 62
Internet: www.mellot.com

Alphonse Mellot - Tasting Notes

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Alphonse Mellot Sancerre La Moussière 2008: A good nose here, fresh, with herby-sweetness and a good depth. A fine palate follows, well defined with fresh flavours, and good grip through the midpalate; it has good acidity too. Quite structured, and a wine of some substance. Very good. An update from the 2009 Salon. 16.5-17+/20 (February 2009)

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Génération XIX 2008: This cuvée has a very generous expression on the nose, with good depth underneath a little superficial creamy fruit. Obviously very young, and in fact rather awkward at present, the wine nevertheless has a good and substantial texture to the midpalate. There is quite some grip to the finish also. Very primary and angular at the moment, but this should be very good indeed given time. An update from the 2009 Salon. 17-18+/20 (February 2009)

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Les Romains 2008: This has a precise and more minerally nose, with a green and leafy character behind it. The palate is fresh, defined, nicely broad though, with really good fruit and a bright structure. Vibrant acidity underpins it all, providing much of this wine's brilliant definition. A delicious wine with very good potential. An update from the 2009 Salon. 17.5-18/20 (February 2009)

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre En Satellite 2008: An expressive nose here on this cuvée, ripe with fairly rich, sweet fruit. Soft and rounded on the palate, fairly rich and flattering as perhaps the nose suggested, with a gentle acid core. Broad but slightly diffuse, but with lots of good flavour. Nice style. An update from the 2009 Salon. 16-17+/20 (February 2009)

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre La Demoiselle 2008: This has an impressive nose, showing a little stone fruit, ripe and broad in character but also precise. There are primary, green edges, of asparagus and grass. On the palate it is full, slightly mealy, youthful and awkward; this has lots of worthy components which need to integrate. Perhaps a touch beany on the palate, with some green vegetal components too, but it is broad and it certainly has substance. Parts of this wine suggest great potential, but other components introduce an element of doubt. An update from the 2009 Salon. 16.5-17.5+?/20 (February 2009)

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Les Romains 2007: A quite pungent, attractive nose of mineral fruit here; a rich character, with almost a touch of honey to it, but it is the mineral elements that are most memorable. The palate is round, quite soft, but with a good substance. There is much firmer structure in the midpalate, where although nicely rounded there is a touch of power. An attractive wine. An update from the 2009 Salon. 17+/20 (February 2009)

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Les Romains 2007: From flinty soils. This is less expressive than La Moussière, but it is still in possession of some delightful fruit. The palate is full, weighty, grippy, perhaps even a little austere. Brooding, yet rich in complex, crystalline, stony fruit. This has an impressive style, and it should be great with further bottle age. Excellent. 17-18+/20 (April 2008)

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre la Moussière 2007: This wine has a simply delightful nose, being hugely expressive, freely throwing out aromas of pears and stones fruits. The palate has a lovely weight, a fabulous style, some real grip. This is fresh and vibrant, and vigorous. Excellent potential here. Hard to believe this is entry-level. 17-18+/20 (April 2008)

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Les Grands Champs 2007: A pale and green-tinged wine. It shows rather plump fruit on the nose, although it is bright and herby, with nice pear and stone fruit aromas. There is plenty of substance on the palate, a grippy midpalate and finish backed up by lots of good acidity. The fruit profile is appealing, rather exotic, with noted of clementines and minerally, spiced red pepper, and the overall impression is of a bright and lively wine. This is very good indeed. From my 2008 Loire wine tasting notes. 17.5+/20 (July 2008)

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Génération XIX 2007: This has a very impressive nose, a mineral pungency being the most admirable character; it is better than I recall from my tasting nearly a year ago. There are some rich, honeyed elements in the mix that weren't there before. The palate has a big, rounded, impressive character, with minerally style. Broad and ever so slightly soft-focus and softly textured, but nevertheless still an enormously attractive wine which will make delightful drinking given time. An update from the 2009 Salon. 18+/20 (February 2009)

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Génération XIX 2007: From a more chalky soil. Reserved, minerally, but firm and tightly wound up. Great acidity, full of substance, with fine grip. Like Les Romains, this is another for wine well set up for the future. Very attractive potential here. 17-18+/20 (April 2008)

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Cuvée Edmond 2007: Wow! the nose here is very fine; defined, fine-tuned Sauvignon fruit, restrained and yet with generous, almost opulent suggestions. The palate possesses a very smoothly polished style, again a little soft-focus but more delineated than the Génération XIX in this vintage. The fruit flavour dominates the minerals here, leading into a slightly mealy finish. For that reason I think on this tasting I prefer the Génération XIX, but it is a closely-run race. An update from the 2009 Salon. 17.5+/20 (February 2009)

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Cuvée Edmond 2007: Lots of fruit on the nose here, this is very rich, but is also very expressive. The palate is creamy, seductive but complete and elegant. A fine and stony composition, showing grip and style. A great structure, this has plenty of potential. It needs cellar time. 17.5-18.5+/20 (April 2008)

Alphonse Mellot Les Pénitents Chardonnay (VdP des Coteaux Charitois) 2007: A creamy and elegant style on the nose, with crystalline fruit, very fresh, although I think it speaks much more of the region rather than the fruit. Lovely, elegant, with fresh acidity, verve and good body. Very surprising, and very good. 16-17+/20 (April 2008)

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Rosé La Moussière 2007: A gorgeous colour, a deep sunset pink. Attractive, expressive, stony raspberry fruit, with a leafy edge. Lovely, slightly peppery acidity, full and a touch weighty, this is nettly, dry, fresh and delicious. Really very good. 16.5/20 (May 2008)

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre La Moussière 2006: This wine has a lovely mid-gold colour, and on the nose there is a fine bouquet of pithy fruit, yellow plum skins and a light, vibrant, crystalline character. Pure, lifted, but full, rich and grippy, the palate is broad and persuasive, and shows flavours that mirror the aromas. It has flesh and grip, although it is well defined rather than soft, and there is a lovely sappy-gritty element to it. Endowed with a little length, this is clearly a wine of substance. 17+/20 (October 2009)

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre La Moussière 2006: A fresh and pale hue. Very expressive nose, very rich in fruit; apples and pears. Delightful flesh on entry, mouthfilling weight and plenty of substance and structure beneath it. It has good acidity too, with some real depth and broad, fleshy, almost gritty texture towards the finish. Very good indeed. Apples and cream and a little pepper throughout, making for a delicious wine overall. 17/20 (May 2008)

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Rouge La Demoiselle 2006: This has a very pretty nose, with lovely ripe and fresh fruit. Some good density too, slightly smoky, with notes of beetroot and coffee; this is impressive. The palate is fine, fresh, well balanced, round and polished. At the core fine and ripe tannins, with a good firm acidity too. Very pretty fruit, although a serious character alongside, dense and broad too. A remarkable wine for the appellation. An update from the 2009 Salon. 17.5+/20 (February 2009)

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Rouge Les Grands Champs 2006: Slightly brighter fruit on the nose here, smoky character, lifted and lively, and yet also dense and concentrated. This is really stylish. Pure, balanced, beautifully textured and really very composed and elegant. This is so well poised on the palate, it is just superb; the structure is matched by an incredible panoply of fruit, coffee-edged, oak-tinged, tense, balanced and harmonious. It just keeps getting better. Excellent wine. An update from the 2009 Salon. 18+/20 (February 2009)

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Rouge Génération XIX 2006: The nose here is really excellent; a touch less exuberant perhaps, more restrained, with coffee again, and perhaps a hint of fine, elegant, dark chocolate. The fruit is certainly less prominent here, replaced by more complex suggestions. The palate is just beautiful, harmonious, with a very polished tannic backbone providing an elgant grip, but laid on top is a fine, silky texture. This has a really remarkable style which, to my surprise, tops the quality found in the Grands Champs and Demoiselles which I did not imagine would be surpassed. A hugely impressive wine. An update from the 2009 Salon. 18.5+/20 (February 2009)

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre La Moussière 2005: Fabulous nose, very well defined and rich in aroma. Carries the slight richness of honey on toast, with aromas of stone fruit and pear. The palate has a fine vinosity, a beautiful composition showing flavours just as suggested on the nose, with nice grip and a fine backbone. The palate fans out towards the finish and there is a delightful length. Real style here. I really must buy and drink more of these. 18/20 (May 2008)

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Rosé La Moussière 2005: On inspection it has an appealingly elegant colour, a salmon-pink-orange hue, rather close to the colour of onion skin. On the nose it is delightfully fresh, with intertwined nuances of vanilla, cream and nettles, with notes of redcurrant leaf and strawberry leaf. It is quite open and appealing. On the palate it seems similarly fresh, but with creamy nuances, and nettly fruit. It certainly has a delicious style, with a full, mouthfilling character on the midpalate, ripe and yet cut through with tingling acidity. It all rounds off with a creamy finish. This is very good indeed. Not all rosé has to be Bandol, it would seem. For label images and more see my Wine of the Week write-up. 17/20 (May 2007)

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Rosé La Moussière 2004: A very pale pink. Aromatic, leafy red fruit nose. Some vanilla cream, and notes of thyme too. Full, flavoursome palate. It has clean acidity, and quite a grippy finish. This is accompanied by a pleasing, leafy, raspberry and strawberry character. Good. From a Loire Extravaganza tasting. 15/20 (July 2005)

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre La Moussière 2003: Pale hue. Lovely nose, showing lots of minerality, chalky and gunpowdery, flinty even, but with a little ripe melon fruit to give some roundness to the aromas. Deliciously fresh and yet ripe, flavoursome palate. The chalky, stony character comes through, with some nice grip and plenty of firm, stony presence. Although this is balanced out by notes of pear, and fleshy white stone fruit. This is lovely stuff, and shows what Sauvignon is capable of given the right environment, and the right hands. From a Loire Extravaganza tasting. 17/20 (July 2005)

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Génération XIX 2003: The nose offers up some clean, grassy elements, but there is a deep, enticing aroma alongside, which takes some time to characterise as it is a little atypical for Sancerre; the scent of honeyed minerals is a rich, opulent characteristic which reflects the heat and the vintage I feel. It is pervasive and yet subtle, so it adds to the wine rather than spoiling it, as it does not take it beyond the realms of Loire Sauvignon. The palate is full bodied and very attractive, and I'm glad to report there is some decent acidity here, and also some firm, grippy tannins, which are likely to be oak-derived (this is barrel fermented and aged in oak, although thankfully these practices don't otherwise manifest strongly on the palate). But most pleasingly there is a fine vinosity, the texture and structure combining to give a rounded, well-knit feel which suffuses the palate, only yielding to those tannins right at the end. This is very good, despite showing some elements of the vintage. For label images and more see my Wine of the Week write-up. 16.5/20 (August 2006)