Alphonse Mellot : Les Pénitents Chardonnay 2019

Characteristics and tasting advice for Les Pénitents Chardonnay 2019 by Alphonse Mellot

Tasting

Appearance

The wine displays a deep yellow hue with golden highlights, reflecting optimal grape ripeness and the vineyard’s prized exposure.

Nose

The bouquet is expressive and intense, revealing dominant citrus aromas—especially lemon and grapefruit—alongside notes of exotic fruit. The whole combines Loire typicity with a minerality reminiscent of great Chablis whites.

Palate

The attack is marked by finesse and remarkable balance. Lemon notes linger elegantly, supported by a fine, precise mineral presence. The fruity character fully asserts itself, leading to a generous, long finish, highlighted by mineral persistence on the retronasal.

Food and wine pairings

This Chardonnay is ideal as an aperitif, where it shows all its freshness. It pairs perfectly with oysters, white meats such as a chicken or guinea fowl supreme with morels, as well as white fish. Dry goat cheeses—especially Chavignol from the region—also make a remarkable match.

Serving and cellaring

Les Pénitents Chardonnay 2019 can be enjoyed now and will continue to evolve until around 2026.

A Loire Chardonnay combining finesse and minerality

The estate

At the beginning of the 19th century, Alphonse Mellot founded the family house in Sancerre, which has grown from father to son ever since.

As early as the 16th century, local archives mention the Mellot family as renowned winegrowers and wine merchants. By way of anecdote, in 1698 King Louis XIV chose César Mellot as his viticultural adviser.

The eldest of each generation bears the founder’s first name. To this day, Alphonse Mellot father and son continue this winegrowing tradition, producing high-quality Sancerre wines from a single, contiguous vineyard of more than 30 hectares.

The vineyard

The Les Pénitents vineyard, located in the IGP Côtes de la Charité, has a history dating back to the 12th century, when Cluniac monks were already cultivating it. Crossed by the Way of Saint James, from which it takes its evocative name, it was replanted from the late 1980s after having been devastated by phylloxera. The 12- to 16-year-old vines are grown on clay-limestone soils with full south-facing exposure, under Biodyvin biodynamic certification.

Vinification and aging

Les Pénitents Chardonnay 2019 is made using a traditional approach. After pneumatic pressing, fermentation takes place 90% in tanks and 10% in new barrels. Aging on fine lees continues for 6 to 8 months, giving the wine its finely balanced structure and aromatic complexity.

Grape variety

This Loire Valley wine is 100% Chardonnay.