Domaine Alphonse Mellot Côtes de la Charité Chardonnay Les Pénitents 2021

Domaine Alphonse Mellot Côtes de la Charité Chardonnay Les Pénitents is the only Chardonnay made by a family otherwise given over entirely to Sancerre.

Côtes de la Charité covers hillside vineyards in the Nièvre, some 35 kilometres south-east of Sancerre, on Oxfordian limestone that sits geologically between the Loire and Burgundy. The land was planted and farmed by the Benedictine monks of Cluny, who received it from Étienne, Count of Sancerre, long before phylloxera all but destroyed the region in the late 19th century. Now reduced to around 50 hectares, it was brought back to life from the late 1980s by a handful of growers, Alphonse Mellot among them. Some 90 per cent of the vineyard area is Chardonnay or Pinot Noir, another clear link to Burgundy. Les Pénitents is made from low-cropped vines planted in 1990 and vinified in a mixture of wooden fermenters and cement tank. The farming is biodynamic.

Drinking well now and holding for four or five years. Serve at 10-12°C with roast chicken, grilled scallops or a soft washed-rind cheese.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.