Alphonse Mellot jnr in their cellars that run under the town of Sancerre

Quick visit yesterday afternoon to see Alphonse Mellot jnr.

Alphonse: "We started on 29th August. We have finished in Sancerre and are now picking in Les Pénitents (Charitois).  

 A bunch of Chardonnay from Les Pénitents (Charitois)

 Chardonnay arriving in case from the Charitois (above and below)

Pinot Noir

Half of the dozen importers were showing some Loire wines at yesterday's tasting. To respond to Chris Kissack's comment, I'd better start with H2Vin. On this occasion they were showing just two. Firstly the 2010 Les Roses du Clos (£8.00), AC Touraine from Xavier Frissant. Attractively mineral and long, Les Roses du Clos is made from Fie Gris (Sauvignon Rose/Sauvignon Gris). This has a delicacy that many Touraine Sauvignon Blancs do not have and once again underlines the lunacy of the INAO's plans to ban 100% Fie Gris from the right to the Touraine appellation.

2009 Génération X1X, Sancerre, Alphonse Mellot 

 

Les Alphonses' barrel fermented Génération Sancerre Blanc (£26.50) is far from your typical crisp Sauvignon Blanc. Rich, weighty, concentrated and long it gives more than a nod in Burgundy's direction. Its concentration in part reflects the warm summer of 2009 but also that the Mellot's along with many vignerons with vines around Sancerre town and Bué were severely hit by hail that year.   

 

2005 Chardonnay, Les Pénitents, Alphonse Mellot

On Sunday we had a small gathering of friends to mark late August. Among the bottles we put on the table were a couple of the 2005 Chardonnay, vin de pays des Coteaux Charitois, from Alphonse Mellot. We left people to help themselves. I was surprised that several friends remarked that they were taken aback that this was a Chardonnay. Used to big, oaky, blowsy Chardonnays from Australia, Chile etc. they didn't recognise this much fresher style as coming from the same grape variety, which they normally don't like.

2005 was the Mellots first vintage from the Coteaux Charitois having bought the vineyards that year from the consortium that developed the vineyards at Chasnay near La Charité. Initially quite successful the consortium ran into problems with frequent changes of winemaker and slow sales.

Of course it isn't really a surprise that this Chardonnay is very different from rich versions from hotter climes as Chasnay is only 100km from Chablis.