Alphonse Mellot snr drawing a sample of 2008 Sancerre Rouge

My fourth visit on the eve of the big Pinot Noir tasting on 19th December was to Domaine Alphonse Mellot where I tasted the latest cuvées with Alphonse snr. The visit reinforced the overall quality of the Alphonse Mellot reds as indeed the tasting the next day where the Mellot reds performed consistently well. As Chris Kissack recently asked, "How can you make red Sancerre this good?" Low yields and meticulous work in the vineyards is a large part of the answer. Another significant part of the answer is the vision and determination of Alphonse Junior, who, when he joined his father in running the business in 1993, told him that he wanted to make high quality Pinot Noir. Alphonse snr famously told him it wasn’t possible. Junior soon proved his father wrong

Alphonse Mellot snr

Tasting area in the Alphonse Mellot cellars

With Alphonse we tasted a number of impressive 2008 barrel samples both white and red as well as the just bottled Génération XIX 2007 Sancerre Rouge that had very impressive depth and finesse for this difficult vintage. Next was the trio of the Mellot top reds from 2006 – Les Demoiselles, En Grand Champs and Génération XIX. Although the first two were very good, particularly the rich and soft En Grand Champs, Géneration XIX had a balance and completeness that Les Demoiselles and En Grand Champs didn’t have.

Alphonse spoke about the importance of touch and feel in winemaking. “To make great wine,” you have to take a risk,” he maintains.

The bi-plane that dominates the Mellot tasting room in the cellars –
sadly ironic following Didier Dagueneau's fatal plane crash in September 2008

To be continued with more reports from my visit to Sancerre in mid-December 2008.

Dinner last night featured Jacky Blot’s La Taille aux Loups Pétillant naturel non dosé, Montlouis. When this rather inelegant and prosaic name was changed to Triple Zero sales soared. This Pétillant naturel non dosé must have been bought some five or so years ago and certainly has aged well – attractive biscuity and honeyed character.

We followed the pétillant with the fine and rich 2006 Cuvée Edmond drunk with a spicy Indian-Thai fusion dish. For some barrel fermented Sancerre remains controversial. 2006 Edmond is evidence that this approach to Sauvignon Blanc works well. Certainly there is none of the gooseberry or even grassy, vegetal character that many people consider is typical of Loire Sauvignon Blanc. The Mellots’ Sauvignon Blanc is picked far too ripe to have any vegetal character. 2006 Cuvée Edmond is certainly enjoyable to drink now but, equally, can be kept for at least five to seven years.

(8th October 2008)

Report on our visit to Alphonse Mellot has been added to the Sancerre, Menetou-Salon and Touraine posting (8th October 2008) plus a brief visit to Henry Pellé and to Henry Marionnet in Touraine. Visit to Henry Natter will a separate posting.