TN: 2011 Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Rouge La Moussière

WINE TALK
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  • 2011 Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Rouge La Moussière - France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre Rouge (28.5.2017)
    Decanted for 1h, enjoyed over dinner slighly chilled (room temp not recommended here!). The nose is fairly heady with ripe red cherry, red currant, herbs and minerals. Quite substantial on the palate with tons of juicy red fruit, mouthwatering acidity and a convincing grip. Definitely not your average entry level wine with a lot of power and a very stony, terroir-driven character. A markedly savory finish. While quite superb and very food-friendly, this is extremely primary still and will only peak after 5-10 more years.

Posted from CellarTracker

This was a great match with wagyu flank steak, white asparagus and hollandaise sauce. I am not super experienced with Sancerre Rouge, especially the more serious stuff like this, but to me it was quite obvious that this was nowhere near its optimal drinking age despite being the entry level effort of Mellot. I would love to hear others’ views on this wine and its peers regarding ageing curve/drinking window! What other red wines would you recommend from this appellation?

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Mellot and Hippolite Reverdy are about the apex of the Sancerre Rouge world. Just not a lot of it planted, and in all honesty the Rose is more consistently outstanding than the reds. Haven’t had the two side by side to compare but Mellot is more lush and juicy, perhaps a more ‘modern’ take, while Reverdy shows more Sancerre minerality and textured tannins. Not by any means a final word on the matter.

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Ah, I had completely forgotten about Hippolyte Reverdy as I haven’t come across their bottles in years. I really love their Sancerre blanc so I definitely need to find also the rouge and the rosé. Thanks!