Innovation plays an important part in pushing quality higher. Name a wine region and there is always someone trying something new.
In the Loire Valley, Alphonse Mellot is one such winemaker and he is something of a trailblazer in Sancerre. Wine critic Michel Bettane once wrote that the Mellot family had pushed themselves to the peak of great Sauvignon of the world: “Alphonse Mellot’s white Sancerres are amongst the most brilliant and pure illustrations of the genius of the Sauvignon grape” - The World's Greatest Wines, Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve, 2008.
Eccentric, perhaps, full of new ideas, definitely… Alphonse’s rise to prominence went against the tide in Sancerre. Unfortunately, this famous Loire appellation is often debased by a great number of poor quality wines not worthy of the name; ever the problem with a famous and popular appellation. Just as Dagueneau in Pouilly-Fumé, Mellot is in a wholly different class; he focuses on individual parcels, farms his vineyards organically and seeks to harness the unique nature of Sancerre’s limestone-based terroir. Attentive viticulture sounds like a cliché until you note that he employees 45 people to work his 55 hectares! Indeed, the La Moussière vineyard, which accounts for 35 hectares, is regarded by many as one of the most immaculately maintained in France, with vines dating back to the 1920s and 1960s.
The attention to detail and drive towards higher quality does not stop in the vineyard however, with the cellars kitted out to retain and ensure the quality of the fruit. Oak is employed chez Mellot, but never overpowers the character of the vineyard. Mellot has recently turned away from stainless steel in favour of concrete fermenters as he believes that they better aid the integration of oak. He is acutely aware of the influence of oak, its pitfalls and benefits, so he therefore employs a vast array of 500 litre barrels for the élèvage of his wines.
Mellot’s wines speak for themselves and the 2012 vintage – with its generous weight of fruit – has resulted in a great success for the estate, as evidenced in the notes from Stephen Reinhardt, who now reviews the Loire amongst other regions for Robert Parker’s website.
2012 Sancerre, La Demoiselle, Alphonse Mellot
£260 per 12 bottle case in bond
£280 per 6 magnum case in bond
93+ points, Stephen Reinhardt (erobertparker.com)
From 60+-year-old vines, the 2012 Sancerre La Demoiselle is already quite aromatic, though it comes from a silex terroir (flint on flinty clay) which often causes a slower development. Precise, mineral and fresh, with flavors of citrus, orange peels, (field) floral and herbal aromas on the nose this is a rich, multi-layered and – thanks to ten months of maturation in wooden vats – almost juicy/creamy Sancerre although it does not get lost on its salty and crystalline road. La Demoiselle is a piquant and mineral-accentuated wine of great expression, tension, depth and elegance. However, I would store it for three or more years, although the nose is already quite inviting. Drinking 2017-2022.
2012 Sancerre, Les Romains, Alphonse Mellot
£290 per 12 bottle case in bond
£310 per 6 magnum case in bond
94+ points, Stephen Reinhardt (erobertparker.com)
Sourced from vines plated in 1951 on partly limestone, partly silex soils the dense, firmly structured 2012 Sancerre Les Romains has an intense yellow color and a rich nose with an amalgam of ripe (and slightly oxidized) fruit, crushed rocks, fresh citrus flavors, yeast, (new) oak, nut oil, hazelnut, yogurt and chalk. On the palate all these impressions become tactile and tastable in a rich, creamy textured Sancerre with a demanding minerality and a finish that reminds of vins jaunes of the Jura region. Although quite inaccessible, this is a profund, powerful and extremely salty Sauvignon of great expression and complexity. It is by far not fully developed but we should be curious to taste it again in 3-4 years. Drinking 2016-2020.
2012 Sancerre, Cuvée Edmund, Alphonse Mellot
£370 per 12 bottle case in bond
£390 per 6 magnum case in bond
96 points, Stephen Reinhardt (erobertparker.com)
Aromas of limes, yellow citrus, crushed stones, herbs, chamomile and honey lead the 2012 Sancerre Edmond to a refreshingly mineral, profund and pure palate of great expression and a stimulating length with citrus flavors." This was my first note of the 2012 Sancerre Edmond, which is dedicated to Alphonse Mellot’s father Alphonse Edmond. The selection from the oldest (about 100 years old) Sauvignon Blanc grapes of the estate (on calcareous marl soils) is the purest and most precise expression of the kimmeridgian terroir because – and this is my finding of the second day – there is nothing more on the nose than ripe fruit aromas (nectarines again) based on and powdered with rock flour. This exceptional Sancerre was fermented and aged for 11 months in wooden vats and new demi-muid barrels, which initially seemed to add a further layer to this already very complex wine. However, the oak was completely absorbed by the minerality, which shines through even clearer the second day when Edmond became significantly more pure, transparent and "naked." Its length, complexity and tension, though, remains unrivaled. This is a really powerful and expressive Sancerre but does neither lack purity nor finesse, thrill nor aging potential. I would definitely buy it to give it 8-10 years although it is already accessible. Drinking 2014-2024.