Alphonse Mellot has been running the domaine of his eponymous father and grandfather for 17 years (since he was 20). Taking Sancerre Pinot to the next level – at least of extraction and intensity – Mellot’s 2005 Sancerre Rouge Grands Champs displays a shockingly dark purple-black color and intense aromas of lightly-cooked black cherry and cassis. Concentrated black fruits, bitter chocolate, and chalk inform an improbably dense palate, without much primary juiciness and with a saline note adding some invigoration and inducement to salivate. This is certainly an amazing demonstration of what is possible with Pinot Noir in the appellation, but I miss precisely the textural nuance, perfume, mysteriously carnal dimensions, or elegance that are the point of most of the best Pinots. Still, this certainly grabs one’s attention, leaving a nagging curiosity about how it might evolve in bottle.Various importers including Domaine Select, New York, NY; tel. (212) 279-0799 and Elite Wines, Lorton, VA; tel. (703) 339-8150