Alphonse Mellot "Les Penitents" Pinot Noir 2020
(Cotes de la Charite, Loire Valley, France) - [DM 91]

Notes from the Winemaker:

Founded in 1513, the current guardian of Alphonse Mellot is the 19th generation of Mellots working the family winery. It sits pretty much in the center of the village with an extensive network of cellars. The La Moussière vineyard covers more than 30 hectares (74 acres) of Kimmeridgian limestone and Saint Doulchard marl soils. The vineyard faces south, receiving ample sunlight for grapes to ripen in the region's cool continental climate.

The Loire Valley is a region rich in vinous curiosities, from rare grape varieties to far flung appellations some of which lie closer to Côte Rôtie and Chambertin than they do to any of the Loire Valley’s more recognised regions. One such curiosity is the Côtes de la Charité, a wine region which boasts an impressive history, the vineyards having been planted by religious acolytes who arrived here from Burgundy in 1059. On the banks of the Loire they built a huge religious settlement, including a monastery and a church which, at the time, was the second largest in the Christian world (the largest being the Benedictine church at Cluny from which they originated).

The vineyards grew to cover hundreds if not thousands of hectares, and despite the church and town being ravaged by fire during the Middle Ages when the 19th century arrived there were still 1,300 hectares planted, an area very close to that of modern-day Pouilly-Fumé. It was of course phylloxera that sent the region into decline, a vicious spiral the turning of which was reinforced by the two World Wars of the early 20th century; there was simply not the appetite, nor the manpower, to restore the vineyards to their once impressive expanse. It was not until the 1980s that the region saw some recovery, beginning life as the Vin de Pays des Coteaux Charitois, before under the new Indication Géographique Protégée system it morphed into the Côtes de la Charité.

Planted on a slope of Bathonian limestone like that underfoot in Morey-Saint-Denis (which lies directly east of Charité-sur-Loire, at a distance of just 170 kilometres), and planted largely with Chardonnay (50% of the vineyard) and Pinot Noir (40%), the remaining 10% being Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris (known locally as Pinot Beurrot), it is a fascinating addition to the Ligérian vineyard, one which I investigated last year through this tasting of twenty wines from the region, as well as the publication of this guide to the Côtes de la Charité.

Ratings & Reviews

91 Points - Decanter:
The vineyards of the Côtes de la Charité, to the northeast of the La Charité-sur-Loire, were revived at the end of 20th century, in part by Caves des Hauts de Seyr, with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, until it ran into financial difficulties. In 2005 Domaine Alphonse Mellot bought the company, giving them 18 hectares here. The very deep coloured Les Pénitents Pinot Noir (cask sample) has ripe black fruits, a rich texture, structure and power. This is a very muscular version of Pinot Noir.