Alphonse Mellot Sancerre “Domaine de la Moussiere” 2006
“... [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.”
Bettane & Desseauve, The World’s Greatest Wines
Sancerre is a stunning wine region. A huge divot out of the earth forms the steep banks over looking the Loire from which the best fruit is sourced. Terres blanches is the most common soil type, consisting of tight packed chalk over marl.
The best wines are tight knit, extraordinarily aromatic, with mineral, flinty aromas, and distinctive texture; a world away from the gooseberry, grassy numbers that are so common in our market. If this hasn’t been your experience of Sancerre, you have been drinking the wrong wines (there are lots of ‘wrong’ wines in Sancerre!).
Domaine Alphonse Mellot is possibly the most highly regarded estate in the region. It is certainly the highest ranked Domaine. Now run by the eighteenth Alphonse Mellot (with the 19th set to take over) their focus is definitely on producing the textural, aromatic white wines that make this region unique. Yet perhaps the most distinctive feature of these wines is their purity and refinement. They can be reminiscent of white burgundy – except that they typically age better than most white burgundies. 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 Mellot is the highest rated producer in Sancerre, according to the leading French wine guide “Le Classement”. In fact, Mellot is today given the same rating as the legendary Didier Dageuneau – they are the only two producers in the eastern Loire to get a two star rating.
“Domaine de la Moussiere” 2006 is a 100% Sauvignon Blanc sourced from a magnificent, estate owned, biodynamically farmed, south-facing site. The marl soils, known as ‘Saint Doulchard’ are practically unique in the Sancerre area, and are situated on a base of Kimmeridgien limestone.
The fruit is hand picked into small, 25 kg boxes and the grapes are sorted on a sorting table prior to whole grape pressing. Meticulous wine making follows with 50% of the wine undergoing barrel fermentation although there is no obvious oak apparent in the finished wine. The 2006 may be even better than the acclaimed 2005. This is a super premium white wine at a bargain price. Yes there are cheaper Sancerre out there but compare them side by side and you’ll understand that you get what you pay for.