Alphonse Mellot : Les Pénitents Pinot Noir 2021

Tasting Notes and Advice for Les Pénitents Pinot Noir 2021 by Alphonse Mellot

Tasting

Color

With an intense, deep purple hue, this wine displays a beautiful crystalline brilliance.

Nose

The bouquet opens with lovely aromas of red fruit, notably cherry and raspberry, complemented by subtle spicy notes. A mineral dimension brings freshness and precision to the aromatic profile.

Palate

The attack is crisp and lively, giving way to a sensual, textured mid-palate. Beautiful tannins—fine and well integrated—shape the palate without ever overpowering the fruit expression. The finish stands out for its finesse and remarkable freshness.

Food and Wine Pairings

This pinot noir is an ideal match for marinated meats, barbecue-grilled sausages, duck breast with peppercorns, or veal sautéed with tomatoes. It also pairs beautifully with roast poultry, a veal chop cooked pink, or an aged crottin de Chavignol.

Serving and Cellaring

Les Pénitents Pinot Noir 2021 is best served between 14 and 16°C. Opening the bottle one hour before serving helps awaken its aromas. This wine can be enjoyed now and will continue to evolve through around 2028.

A Biodynamic Loire Pinot Noir Combining Freshness and Aromatic Finesse

The Estate

At the beginning of the 19th century, Alphonse Mellot founded the family House in Sancerre, which has continued to expand from father to son ever since.

As early as the 16th century, local archives mention the Mellot family as renowned winegrowers and wine merchants. As an anecdote, King Louis XIV, in 1698, chose César Mellot as his wine adviser.

The eldest of each generation bears the founder’s first name. This is why, even today, Alphonse Mellot father and son carry on this winemaking tradition and produce high-quality Sancerre wines from a single, contiguous vineyard of over 30 hectares.

The Vineyard

Les Pénitents comes from a five-hectare vineyard located in the IGP Côtes de la Charité, around thirty-five kilometers from Sancerre. The pinot noir vines, averaging about twenty-six years of age, are planted on clay-limestone soils rich in entrochal limestone and gravelly stones. These plots benefit from southern exposures on steep slopes, promoting rapid soil warming and optimal ripening. The vineyard, revived after its destruction by phylloxera in the 19th century, is farmed entirely under certified biodynamics, with hand harvesting into small crates and tightly controlled yields.

The Vintage

The 2021 vintage in the Loire Valley was marked by a mild winter followed by a changeable spring with episodes of frost. Summer was characterized by alternating warm spells and unsettled weather. Despite these fluctuating conditions, the harvest revealed grapes with fine freshness, remarkable aromatic intensity, and a refined tannic structure. Rigorous parcel selection made it possible to pick only fruit at optimal ripeness.

Vinification and Aging

Les Pénitents Pinot Noir 2021 was vinified in truncated-cone stainless-steel vats with gentle pump-overs to preserve aromatic finesse. After fermentation and natural malolactic conversion, the wine was aged for ten months, evenly split between wooden vats and 600-liter barrels. A minimum of four months of bulk aging then allowed for blending and final harmonization before bottling.

Grape Variety

100% pinot noir.