Domaine Joseph Mellot is one of the very famous estates from the Loire Valley in France.
The winery is acknowledged from the consistent quality of its wines lead by its various Sauvignon Blancs, and is a widely recognized wine brand present in over 40 countries around the world.
Joseph Mellot produces wines from the Upper Loire region and is the only estate that owns vineyards in all the appellations of the area including Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, Pouilly-sur-Loire, Coteaux du Giennois, Menetou Salon, Quincy, Reuilly and Chateaumeillant.
WINE REVIEWS & TASTING NOTES of JOSEPH MELLOT
HISTORY
For over 500 years, the name Mellot has been associated with the production of wines from Sancerre.
Dating back to 1513, the Joseph Mellot family estate is today embracing the 21st century with the confidence gained from half a millennia of winemaking. Combining tradition and experience with insight and innovation, the Domain uses advances in science and technology to benefit the environment and improve the quality of its wines.
Joseph Mellot was the first domain in the Central Loire Valley to obtain ISO 14001 certification. Today all of its vineyards are cultivated according to the principles of sustainable agriculture.
1513 the estate was founded
1960 first export to Great Britain, Denmark and Netherlands
1984 Alexandre expanded the vineyards, modernized the winery’s equipment and boosted export sales
1994 Acquisition of the Jacques Marchand estate in the Pouilly-Fumé appellation area.
1995 Joseph Mellot takes over Pierre Duret in Quincy.
1999 The Clos du Pressoir in Menetou-Salon and a vineyard in Coteaux du Giennois join Joseph Mellot.
2001 Acquisition of Jean Michel Sorbe’s vineyards in Quincy and Reuilly.
2002 Creation of a winery in Quincy
LOCATION
The 100 hectares of the estate’s vineyards are distributed across the different Central Loire Valley appellations: Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, Pouilly-sur-Loire, Mentou-Salon, Reuilly, Quincy, Chateaumeillant, and Coteaux du Giennois.
Map of Upper Loire wine region
CLIMATE
The climate in the Upper Loire region is moderate with some oceanic influence from the Atlantic but also quite continental due the area’s central location in France.
The relatively cool climate is favorable to growing the Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc grape varieties.
SOIL TYPES by APPELLATION
Three soil types make up the Sancerre terroir, giving it its typicity:
- Siliceous clay soils on the hills in the eastern vineyards.
- “Caillottes”, very stony and calcareous.
- “Terres blanches” which are white in appearance and are located on the westernmost hills of the Sancerre region (clay-limestone based).
Four distinctive soil types can be distinguished within Pouilly-Fumé and Pouilly-sur- Loire :
- Oxfordian Villiers limestone (“caillottes”)
- Kimmeridgian marls with fossilized oyster shells (“terres blanches”)
- Portlandian Barrois limestone (“caillottes”)
- Cretaceous flinty clay (flint).
Quincy : consisting of sand and gravel
Reuilly : The vines are planted on limestone marl slopes with a medium gradient and on high terraces composed of sand and gravels.
Menetou-Salon : vines are planted on hills made up of limestone sediments dating back to the Upper Jurassic Period (Kimmeridgian).
Coteaux du Giennois : vines are situated on the slopes lining the Loire Valley in the departments of Nièvre and Loiret, benefitting from flinty limestone soils.
VINEYARDS AND GRAPE VARIETIES
Joseph Mellot owns 115 hectares of which Sauvignon Blanc represents 80%, Pinot Noir 15%, Gamay 3%, and Pinot Gris 2%.
WINERY
The winery was built in 1990, we produce 2 millions bottles per year, we work with stainless steel mostly and for the vintage we used oak barrels.
VITICULTURE
The Joseph Mellot vineyards are managed according to principles of:
- Sustainable pest control: prolonged observation of vine plots and climatic conditions and the implementation of environmentally responsible treatment programmes which take into consideration the real risk of disease development
- Yield management: systematic vine-pruning, disbudding, crop thinning if necessary and shoot thinning
- Vine plot traceability: all plots are monitored by computer to ensure complete traceability in production.
Harvesting
From the beginning of September or even late August, grape samples are taken regularly to monitor levels of maturity. Grapes are harvested at full maturity and sorted carefully to ensure that the juice is of the best quality. Each plot is harvested and vinified separately, with the grape harvest lasting approximately a fortnight.
PEOPLE
Catherine Corbeau Mellot is the présidente of the estate. She’s the brand ambassador too.
The winemaker at Mellot has just changed to Norbert Buchonnet. He worked all over the world mostly in Portugal and China .
Olivier Rivain is the export director.
WINES
The estate produces 48 différents cuvées. They’re classified by their appellation, several of them being single vineyards, while the others are blends of wines from different terroirs.
Prices start at 3/4€ for IGP and 8/9€ for AOC (Quincy and Reuilly) while Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé wines range around 12/15€ on European markets.
CELLAR DOOR INFORMATION
The cellar is open in week from 9 a.m to 5 p.m.
Joseph Mellot winery also runs a wine shop and a restaurant in the village of Sancerre.
The shop is open from 10 a.m to 7 p.m.
The restaurant opens from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m and from 7 p.m to 9 p.m.
Addresses:
Winery – Route de Ménétréol D920 18 300 Sancerre
Auberge (Restaurant) – 16 Nouvelle Place 18 300 Sancerre
Cellar Door « La Vigne et le Vin » Wine Shop – 5 rue Porte César 18 300 Sancerre
JOSEPH MELLOT ESTATE PRESENTATION VIDEO