Alphonse Mellot La Moussiere Sancerre Blanc 2013
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Robert
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La Moussière is the estate's flagship cuvee, its richness, energy and precision defining the Alphonse Mellot style. This 100% Sauvignon white wine has a floral and fruity nose combining white flowers with citrus fruits, a resplendent golden robe with glints of green, and a lively, refreshing palate.
Fish tartare, smoked salmon or girolle mushroom omelette will go perfectly with La Moussière's freshness and purity. Although it is certainly a highly seductive wine in its present state of maturity, its full breadth will only reveal itself after a few years' cellaring.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
La Moussière is the cornerstone of Alphonse Mellot and in its energy and precision it is not only an unmistakable Mellot but also a quality and stylistic level most producers don’t reach rudimentarily. The 2013 Sancerre La Moussière offers very pure, mineral and fresh fruit and floral aromas on the nose, which are neither green nor tropical, but so invitingly subtle, elegant and proofund that you don’t want to name the scents, just enjoy them. (I got fresh and minerally accentuated Riesling-like flavors of white peaches/nectarines and orange peels the second day…) On the palate, too, this is a pure, complex and powerful Sancerre of great personality, finesse and expression. Tightly woven and animating in its vibrant, citric limestone-minerality, this is a serious, fresh and persistent wine and surely one of the finest 2013 Sancerres I tasted for this report. You may enjoy it now and surely the next five or more years. It comes from 55-year-old vines rooted in calcareous marl soils (like the top wines Edmond and Géneration XIX) and was aged for 8-10 months in new demi-muids (one-third) and in vats (two-thirds). And yes, it’s a 2013, which is an excellent vintage for those who love purity and tension in wine.
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There is much controversy surrounding the origins of Sancerre. Certain historians attribute it to Julius Cesar, others to a Saxon settlement that is said to have been established during the reign of Charlemagne. It is however certain that its history goes back to the beginning of the Middle Ages, before the year 1000 and that a Castle was erected on this privileged site.
As far back as the XVI century, in 1513 to be exact, the local records mention the MELLOT family, whose life even at that time was governed by the seasons of the vine and the production of wines of excellent quality. The Mellot family, vinegrowers and wine merchants, was again mentioned during the siege of the town. They pursued their patient labours and continued to gain recognition because César Mellot was appointed as Wine Advisor to Louis XIV in 1698.
At the beginning of the XIX century, ALPHONSE MELLOT founded a tavern in Sancerre where one could savour the local wines and so began a flourishing trade that was to continue. In 1881 he was granted a licence to ship his wine throughout France and all over the World. This marked the beginning of a pacific conquest which has been pursued and developed by the family business from father to son ever since, with the eldest son continuing to bear the name of the Founder Alphonse.
Today, this century old winemaking tradition is perpetuated by Alphonse MELLOT, father and son, the 18th and 19th to bear the name.
Capable of a vast array of styles, Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, refreshing variety that equally reflects both terroir and varietal character. Though it can vary depending on where it is grown, a couple of commonalities always exist—namely, zesty acidity and intense aromatics. This variety is of French provenance. Somm Secret—Along with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc is a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. That green bell pepper aroma that all three varieties share is no coincidence—it comes from a high concentration of pyrazines (herbaceous aromatic compounds) inherent to each member of the family.
Marked by its charming hilltop village in the easternmost territory of the Loire, Sancerre is famous for its racy, vivacious, citrus-dominant Sauvignon blanc. Its enormous popularity in 1970s French bistros led to its success as the go-to restaurant white around the globe in the 1980s.
While the region claims a continental climate, noted for short, hot summers and long, cold winters, variations in topography—rolling hills and steep slopes from about 600 to 1,300 feet in elevation—with great soil variations, contribute the variations in character in Sancerre Sauvignon blancs.
In the western part of the appellation, clay and limestone soils with Kimmeridgean marne, especially in Chavignol, produce powerful wines. Moving closer to the actual town of Sancerre, soils are gravel and limestone, producing especially delicate wines. Flint (silex) soils close to the village produce particularly perfumed and age-worthy wines.
About ten percent of the wines claiming the Sancerre appellation name are fresh and light red wines made from Pinot noir and to a lesser extent, rosés. While not typically exported in large amounts, they are well-made and attract a loyal French following.