Description

Mellot is a name renowned with great Loire Valley wines. This branch of the family can be traced back to 1513. The current generation, Alexandre took over in 1984 and has expanded and modernised the operation. Now they have vineyards in Sancerre, Pouilly Fume, Quincy and other appellations. The wines are clean, fresh and very well made.

This is from the ‘generic’ Loire appellation but that should not detract from your impression of the wine. It has the purity, driver and mineral core of Sancerre. There is a touch more ripe Sauvignon Blanc character to the wine which balances the lovely mineral core. The palate is lean and dry with the perfume from the nose floating through. Lovely with oysters or similar marine life. I wouldn’t age this wine.

Loire Valley Can any white wine rival Loire Valley Chenin Blanc for elegance, grace and poise in the cellar? Definitely some Rieslings would give it a run but not much else. Chenin, whether sweet or dry, produces wines with a lovely balance of taut, unrelenting acidity and pillowy soft fruit that sits on top. The best wines, think Savennières, Vouvray and Montlouis, can age for a surprisingly long time (25, 50, 100 years even). Only surprising due to the amazing balance the best producers can find in the wine. Then you get stuck into the stunning sparkling wines that are such great value too and the reds from Cabernet Franc that will make lovers of Burgundy or Bordeaux swoon.

Sauvignon Blanc –  Hero to many, weed to many more. Sauvignon Blanc sure does divide people. The pure expression of Sauvignon fruit is a stunning and exuberant array of tropical fruits with ripe herbs and plant material. It excels in the chalk, clay and sand of the Loire as well as the wonderful vineyards in Bordeaux for dry white and Sauternes production where Semillon curbs its outgoing nature.