Alphonse Mellot : Edmond 2023

Characteristics and tasting notes of Alphonse Mellot's Sancerre "Edmond" 2023

Tasting

Appearance
The robe reveals a brilliant golden-yellow hue, enhanced by delicate green reflections that highlight its brightness and clarity.

Nose
Wonderfully majestic, the bouquet is powerful and beautifully complex. It weaves together aromas of fresh grass, anise and liquorice with more indulgent notes of lemon, honey and brioche, testifying to a perfectly integrated ageing.

Palate
Ample and generous, the palate offers a succulent, rich and silky texture. It unfolds flavours of lime, muscat and vanilla, carried by superb tension. The whole stretches towards a persistent, spicy and deeply mineral finish, a true signature of its limestone terroir.

Food and wine pairings

This great white wine will pair wonderfully with oysters, scallops, creamy poultry with baby vegetables, andouillette, or a mature goat's cheese such as Chavignol.

Serving and cellaring

Sancerre "Edmond" 2023 is a wine built for cellaring, which can be enjoyed now or kept in the cellar until around 2032.

The masterful expression of a great white wine from Sancerre

The estate

Although the family's winegrowing roots go back to 1513, the Alphonse Mellot estate was established in its modern form at the beginning of the 19th century in France, followed by an export licence in 1881. Located in the heart of the Loire Valley, this outstanding property extends over 76 hectares entirely farmed biodynamically. Today, Alphonse Mellot Junior, representing the nineteenth generation, leads this iconic family estate, renowned for its meticulous plot-by-plot approach and its wines of remarkable precision.

The vineyard

This cuvée comes from a plot selection of around six hectares located on the famous lieu-dit La Moussière, within the Sancerre appellation. Facing south-south-west, these old vines aged between 40 and 87 years thrive on Kimmeridgian marl soils from Saint-Doulchard, known as caillottes. Farmed biodynamically with complete soil work, this terroir benefits from a high planting density that encourages moderate yields and optimal concentration in the berries.

Vinification and ageing

After manual harvesting into small crates, the grapes destined for Sancerre "Edmond" 2023 undergo rigorous sorting on a table before a gentle sequential pneumatic pressing. The must is cold-settled and then ferments in French oak barrels. Ageing takes place on fine lees for eleven months in wooden vats and new demi-muids, followed by bulk maturation for at least twelve additional months before bottling.

Grape variety

100% sauvignon blanc