Product information

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre La Moussière HALF 2020

Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre, Centre Loire, Loire Valley, France

$51

$49ea in any 3+
$47ea in any 6+
Closure: Cork

Description

There’s Sauvignon and then there is Sauvignon from Sancerre. There’s Sancerre and then there is Dagenau. Then a pack chasing him. Mellot right at the front of that pack. Beautiful poise, delicacy and vertical long shape to the palate. Lovely bright fruit that has shifted beyond primary to aromas and flavours of intrigue. Crisp fine acid. This is an impressive drink. There’s a little passion fruit and gooseberry if you look for it. Overall it’s just a wonderful seemless Sauvignon Blanc.

In stock

Check out all of the wines by Alphones Mellot

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

La Moussière is one of the great vineyards of the Loire Valley. With incredibly rocky, limestone-rich soils, this gently rolling vineyard lies on the ancient Saint-Doulchard marls, which form a part of the great Kimmeridgian chain (à la Chablis). Coupled with Mellot’s meticulous biodynamic farming and low yields, it’s a terroir responsible for some of Sancerre’s most striking and atypical wines.

As usual, 50% of this wine underwent fermentation in huge wooden fermenters and was raised in oak casks—a fact that in no way compromises the fabulous purity and energy on offer. The balance of the wine was fermented and raised in traditional concrete vats before blending. All the wine was aged on fine lees for a period of roughly 12 months, further enhancing the wine’s famously deep and pulpy texture.

About Alphonse Mellot

“… [the Mellot family’s] worthy aspirations have gradually raised them to the peaks of the great Sauvignons of the world. Alphonse Mellot’s white Sancerres are amongst the most brilliant and pure illustrations of the genius of the Sauvignon grape.”

Michel Bettane & Thierry Desseauve, The World’s Greatest Wines

If you’ve every doubted Sauvignon Blanc’s place in the pantheon of Noble White Grapes (and many do), a taste of any bottle of Mellot Sancerre should set matters straight. Mellot’s Sauvignons are capable of recalling great white Burgundy, sometimes Chablis, sometimes Côte d’Or. And they typically age better than most white burgundies do these days! Jacqueline Friedrich summed it up perfectly when she wrote; “Each Sancerre [from Mellot] is at its most elegant: discreetly herbaceous, a beautiful weave of citrus, oak and minerals.”

Alphonse Jr. (19th) with Alphonse Sr. (18th)

Founded in 1513, the current guardian of Alphonse Mellot is the 19th generation of Mellots working the family winery. It sits pretty in the center of the village with an extensive network of cellars. The estate covers 56 hectares of vineyard, 38ha of which comprises the estate’s notable La Moussière vineyard. The resulting style, fermented in differing sizes of wooden tanks, is pure and precise and manages to retain mouth-watering acidity even in warm vintages like 2018, 2019 and 2020.

The La Moussière vineyard, Sancerre

For much of its recent history, the Mellot family has crafted its miraculous Sauvignons in a highly popular region where standards were continuously dropping and the viticulture and wine making was becoming more and more industrial. Alphonse Mellot was, and is, one of the beacons of quality in a region where today, some 98% of fruit is machine harvested. Instead, the fruit is delicately handled and fermented in 900-litres tanks creating outstanding, seductive Sauvignon that offers intense purity and has the structure to age gracefully.

The terroir of Sancerre is beautiful, one of Europe’s great limestone soils. Unfortunately, the region’s immense popularity has encouraged apathy and opportunism and Sancerre remains very much a great terroir full of largely untapped potential. Of course Mellot is not alone in bucking the trend: names like Cotat, Vacheron, Pinard and Boulay have also maintained very high standards. But the outspoken Mellot is the most visible, as the late Didier Dageneau had been in Pouilly.

In the video below, we meet Alphonse Sr. and Alphonse Jr. and learn about what makes Sauvnignon from Sancerre truly magical wine.

In the Vineyard

La Moussière, where the estate’s most historic white wines are grown, is one of the most remarkable and best kept vineyards in France. It is a beautiful, south facing, rolling slope, with deep, limestone-rich, ploughed soils. The vines are densely planted (8,000-10,000 vines per-hectare) and there is a large percentage of old vines. Incredibly, 40 people are employed to manage 47 hectares! If anyone can be said to be guardians of Sancerre terrior, it is these hardy souls pruning through winter on the frigid slopes of La Moussière. Here, everything is done by hand, biodynamically and to immaculate standards.

In the Winery

The winery is full of the kind of equipment (sorting tables, conveyor belts, pneumatic presses, large wooden temperature controlled fermentation tanks, etc.) that you only typically find in the finest Burgundy domains – absolutely no expense has been spared.

The 2020 Vintage at Alphonse Mellot

The 2020 vintage for the Loire Valley is shaping up to be excellent.

Few records currently exist detailing the growing season in-depth, however, but what does suggests a fast-growing season that saw grapes reach phenolic ripeness at a rapid pace.

The whites have been described as fruit-forward and fresh and some of the Sauvignon Blancs are even said to have tropical notes. The rosés are also said to be berry-noted and aromatic while the reds are said to be deeper and richer in both flavor and color, although the tannins may need more time to smooth over which time will inevitably do.

In general, although information is limited at this stage, the 2020 Loire Valley vintage looks set to be a successful year with most regions and wine styles delivering admirably.

Where in the World is Alphonse Mellot?

Alphonse Mellot is located in the Upper Loire, in the village of Sancerre.

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92 Points

Alphonse Mellot is based in the heart of the town of Sancerre. La Moussière is a large parcel of vines planted on marls overlaying Kimmeridgian limestone to the west of the town. The domaine is certified both organic and biodynamic. Grapes are hand-picked and 50% is vinified in new barrels and the rest in vats. Wine is matured on fine lees for 7-8 months. The 2020 is a very rich, ripe, powerful and complex with a long finish. Still young with considerable potential to age.

Jim Budd, Decanter

Where in the world does the magic happen?

Mellot Alphonse, Rue Porte César, Sancerre, France

Sancerre
Centre Loire
Loire Valley
France