Alphonse Mellot : La Demoiselle 2019

This flinty clay terroir works wonders and supports a fruit profile that is both pure and beguiling, with more complexity than En Grands Champs.

The 2019 Sancerre La Demoiselle Rouge opens deep, fresh, pure and intense on the spicy nose that reveals ripe, dark fruit aromas intermixed with iodine notes. Silky, fresh and elegant on the palate, this is a full-bodied, fleshy and persistently vivacious red Sancerre with a lot of power, intensity and tannins. Still young but also quite oxidative. 13% stated alcohol. Diam cork. Tasted in December 2021.

The 2019 La Demoiselle is an elegant yet ripe Pinot Noir that draws you in with its savory, spiced fruit and smoky, bacon-like personality. Succulent yet long with delightful acidity, this is a rare Pinot planted on flint, the terroir’s natural propensity to pull you along like a parent pulling the string on a toboggan. The finish is long, effortless, and fragrant, with tea leaf joining the array of aromas. Attractive now, but it is still a pup and would be delightful in a few years as its savory development progresses.