2019 Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Edmond, Loire Valley

Compared to other whites, Mellot’s 2019 Sancerre Edmond is definitely from another world of thinking and winemaking. The nose indicates a more “natural” approach since it is more generous in its autumn-like fruit aromas (from dry old vines in fact) as well as more oxidative and phenolic. However, as it takes in more air, the purer and finer the wine becomes. On the palate, this is a pure and finessed as well as rich and intense Sancerre with a very long and complex finish. I wouldn't say this is enormously powerful, but it is pretty powerful and truly intense in all dimensions. The intensity and richness is combined with mineral structure, fine tannins and a sustainability coming from the soils. This wine has enormous energy and is, in the end, a great one and with lots of iodine.

93+ points Stephan Reinhardt robertparker.com

The 2019 Cuvée Edmond is a pure, precise expression of Sancerre, fermented entirely in oak of differing sizes and ages, yet the refined fruit soars with its fine nectarine and floral characters. While light in body, this has tender flesh built through the mid-palate, likely due to the vines hailing from Kimmeridgian limestone and the 10–14 months on lees. The long finish feels as if someone turned on a tap in your mouth, such is the effect of the acidity.

93-95 points Rebecca Gibb MW vinous.com

Biodynamic. Like the Dix-Neuf, Edmond is hand-harvested from old vines in the Moussière vineyard. Here, the wine comes from a range of 50- to 90-year-old vines on the southerly slope of the site, where the Saint-Doulchard marls give way to a blanket of weathered limestone rocks that are locally called calcaires à astartes.
 
Cropped even lower than the Dix-Neuf, Edmond’s fermentation and élevage took place in 600-litre barrels, with a portion raised in a 2,000-litre wooden, egg-shaped Taransaud ovum (the only other ovum we have encountered in the Loire is across the river, chez Dagueneau). It was aged on fine lees for around 12 months.
 
As if carved from the stones themselves, this is a profound and structured white wine with an intense depth of white stone fruit, white flowers and all kinds of citrus. It has layers, aromatic complexity, tension, precision, profound minerality and striking length. These wines can live 20 to 30 years easily, and typically only start to peak after five to 10 years. With each sip, it extends the boundaries of what we understand Sauvignon (and Sancerre) to be capable of delivering.