2018 Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Rouge Génération Dix-Neuf, Loire Valley

A wine with great promise, this is named after the at least 19 generations of Mellots who have had vineyards in Sancerre. The wine is both structured and packed with rich fruits, dense and with balanced acidity. The wine will age further and be ready from 2024.

94 points Roger Voss winemag.com

Biodynamic. Although the price may raise a few eyebrows, we’re knee deep in Burgundy territory here. To give you some background, Mellot is no stranger in Beaune and the story goes that each year he participates in a benchmarking session with a group of top Burgundian growers. It sounds like a prodigious tasting, and Mellot—who does not want for confidence—enters his ‘Grand Cru’ Génération Dix-Neuf into the line-up. To cut a long story short, it became clear to Mellot and his fellow tasters that the humble Sancerre was holding its own against some of the top vineyards of the Cote d’Or.
 
But this is only part of the story. The Génération Dix-Neuf is sourced from a parcel of 60-plus-year-old vines on Saint-Doulchard marls in the Chambrates and Paradis lieux-dits, southwest of Sancerre. Mellot describes the latter vineyard as the “Musigny of Sancerre”. This site—under one hectare of densely planted old vines with their own full-time vigneron—is cropped at an eye-wateringly low 20 hl/ha.
 
To the best of our knowledge this is one of only two reds in the Mellot cellars fermented entirely as whole bunches. It was raised for over 12 months in new, large-format barrel and bottled unfiltered.
 
Much like the white of the same name, this has nowt to do with generic Sancerre and everything to do with an obsession with quality. It’s perfumed and high-toned, with remarkable intensity and layers of sweet, floral red fruit. The palate is deep, lithe and woven with sappy freshness, with suave tannins gliding to a lingering, perfumed finish. It’s the standard bearer.