Mellot’s red 2008 Sancerre La Moussiere – which fermented for around a month and was aged in virtually all new barrels – is almost impenetrably dark, which unfortunately also presages a sense of over-extraction and opacity that dog it all the way through to its tenacious finish. Resin, plum paste, fresh red raspberry and ocean breeze make for a striking nose, but in the mouth this is bright to the point of tartness; resinous to the point of suggesting stickiness; and indeed almost adhesive in finish, but leaves my palate in a state beyond invigorated and closer to provocation: puckering, sizzling, and ultimately slightly drying. There is undoubtedly something impressive about a Pinot this brashly concentrated, but whether or not you enjoy drinking it will under the most charitable interpretation (to you or the wine!) be a matter of personal taste. Forty year old Alphonse Mellot has now spent half his life running the domaine of his eponymous father and grandfather, in the process acquiring an enviable reputation, almost as much for his Pinots as for his Sauvignons. I regret – especially in view of my reservations (detailed in the tasting notes) about his approach – my not having had time to visit him this year, which explains the absence of a report from barrel on his 2009 reds or on all but two of his 2009 whites. (Incidentally, I do not recommend that any similarly skeptical tasters linger at Mellot’s web site, whose over-the-top wine descriptions outdo an already more than ambitious-enough reality, thus doing neither him nor us any favors.)Various importers including Domaine Select, New York, NY; tel. (212) 279-0799; Boutique Wine Collection, Philadelphia, PA (914) 954-6583; and Elite Wines, Lorton, VA; tel. (703) 339 8150

Alphonse Mellot has been running the domaine of his eponymous father and grandfather for 17 years (since he was 20). The 2005 Sancerre Rouge La Moussiere boasts a deep, healthy, black-rimmed hue and a nose of black cherry, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a hint of leather. Juicy, deep black cherry fruit on the palate leads to a palate-staining, spicy, bright, sappy, intensely black cherry, chalk, and cherry pit finish, revealing a faint astringency for which one can forgive this wine for the purity of its fruit. Various importers including Domaine Select, New York, NY; tel. (212) 279-0799 and Elite Wines, Lorton, VA; tel. (703) 339-8150