Provenance

Restaurant Mosaic

Critics Ratings

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Satellite 2011
'Five parcels on clay-limestone. Racy and complex. Deep flavoured. Great balance.' - Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, 16.5/20 (Jun 2013)

'Tasted out of the tall upright cask and large new oval in which its entirety fermented and will spend life until last minute reunion and bottling, Mellot's Chavignol-dedicated 2011 Sancerre Satellite - from some of the estate's first picking, the last week in August - smells alluringly and tastes lusciously of ripe quince and grapefruit. Silken and lush, the palate here retains just enough fresh-fruitedness to server for refreshment, while notes of citrus rind and pip along with chalk, iodine and shrimp shell reduction serve for invigoration and saliva-inducement in a long finish. Lanolin, vanilla and resin are hard to overlook in the portion that fermented in a new oval but that lot also adds an interesting concentration of citrus oils and enhanced textural richness, so that proportional representation appears destined to result in harmony even if no special synergy materializes. I imagine - as with so many wines of this vintage - that we have something here to savor over the next 3-4 years, but there isn't even a track record that long for the bottle evolution of this cuvee, so any prognostication must be taken with a big grain of tartrate.' - David Schildknecht, Wine Advocate, 90-91+/100 (Jun 2012)

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Les Romains MD XIII 2010
'High-toned mint, sweet lime, and ripe honeydew melon scent and lusciously inform the palate of Mellot's 2010 Sancerre Les Romains, which boasts a clarity, primary juiciness, and absence of overt oakiness that could unfortunately not be claimed for the corresponding Demoiselle and Satellite. This is not to suggest, though, that the present wine lacks the estate signature of polish and textural caress borne of the lees. Sweet-saline and iodine-tinged intimations of shrimp shell reduction serve for delightful saliva-inducement and nut oils for rich piquancy in a long, superbly savory, persistently fruit-filled finish. Look for this beauty to perform admirably for at least the better part of a decade.' - David Schildknecht, Wine Advocate, 92/100 (Jun 2012)