Alphonse Mellot - Génération XIX rouge 2015

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

Dreamy silky texture, deep tannin with a very complex aromatic intensity and perfect radiance on the palate.

About the domain :

Skillful winemaker Alphonse Mellot delivers a fascinating reading of Sancerre, with parcel-based cuvées that detail each terroir. The age of the vines, averaging 75 years, enables him to offer an impeccable range, the first step of which - the cuvée domaine - is already at the highest level. 18 hectares of IGP La Côte de la Charité also bear witness to his mastery of Chardonnay. We salute the work and inspiration of this tireless enthusiast, crowning more than 30 years of research and intransigence.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

Mellot's 2015 Sancerre Génération XIX has become a stunning Pinot Noir. Dark ruby with a brilliant rim, the bouquet reveals a deep, pure, intense and slightly reductive but precise bouquet with spicy notes of Morello cherry, crushed stone and iron, iodine, flint, toast, graphite, herbs and, with aeration, dried porcini mushrooms. This 2015 is linear and elegant, yet already complex on the nose. The palate is dense and intense, revealing a full-bodied, lush and sweet yet spicy, tangy and refreshing red that shows a silky texture with great mineral energy and intensity packed by very fine tannins, stimulating salts and a long, powerful yet refined finish. Still young, the 2015 promises remarkable ageing potential. This is perhaps one of the most exciting red Sancerre I've tasted to date. The combination of purity, freshness, finesse and masculine power with tension is utterly fascinating, but perhaps not everyone's cup of tea.

About the domain :

Alphonse Mellot junior, the 19th generation of Sancerre's flagship domaine, owns 53 hectares of biodynamically farmed vines and offers a range of remarkably clear, elegant and refined single-vineyard Sancerre wines. Several of these wines - Edmond, Les Romains and Génération Dix-Neuf - are remarkable for their concentration, precision and expression. This year, I've broadened my notes a little, as I really felt differences in complexity between the wines, rather than just differences in style. Pinot noir enthusiasts should try Les Herses 2014.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the wine:

A magnificent spicy, floral perfume emanates from this Pinot Noir, still discreet and restrained, but with already highly refined tannins. The voluptuous length already makes it accessible, but five to six years in bottle will do it a world of good.

Vinous A. Galloni

About the domain :

Founded in 1513, current estate keeper Alphonse Mellot is the 19th generation to run the family winery. The estate is located in the center of the village and boasts an extensive network of cellars. With 56 hectares of vineyards, Mellot produces Sancerre for supermarkets (the La Moussière cuvée, made from young vines, is stocked at Sainsbury's in the UK, for example) as well as top-level cuvées made from old vines, such as Cuvée Edmond, whose fruit comes from a 6-hectare plot of old vines within the 38-hectare La Moussière vineyard. The resulting style, fermented in wooden vats of different sizes, is pure and precise, and manages to retain mouth-watering acidity even in hot vintages like 2018, 2019 and 2020. The flagship cuvée, Génération XIX, comes from a one-hectare parcel in La Moussière where the vines are on average almost 90 years old. Handled delicately, it is fermented in 900-liter vats, resulting in an exceptional, seductive Sauvignon with intense purity and a structure that will allow it to age gracefully. The estate also produces Pinot Noir: La Demoiselle comes from a rare flint terroir that gives it a smoky, spicy, firm style, while the limestone soils of the Le Paradis vineyard, which contributes to Génération XIX rouge, offer a more seductive elegance, while the clay portion of Chambrates offers softness and ease. Nor does Pinot skimp on quality oak. An early adopter of biodynamic viticulture, the estate has been certified since 1999.