Alphonse Mellot Sancerre La Moussière 2008: A good nose here, fresh, with herby-sweetness and a good depth. A fine palate follows, well defined with fresh flavours, and good grip through the midpalate; it has good acidity too. Quite structured, and a wine of some substance. Very good. 16.5-17+/20

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Génération XIX 2008: This cuvée has a very generous expression on the nose, with good depth underneath a little superficial creamy fruit. Obviously very young, and in fact rather awkward at present, the wine nevertheless has a good and substantial texture to the midpalate. There is quite some grip to the finish also. Very primary and angular at the moment, but this should be very good indeed given time. 17-18+/20

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Les Romains 2008: This has a precise and more minerally nose, with a green and leafy character behind it. The palate is fresh, defined, nicely broad though, with really good fruit and a bright structure. Vibrant acidity underpins it all, providing much of this wine's brilliant definition. A delicious wine with very good potential. 17.5-18/20

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre En Satellite 2008: An expressive nose here on this cuvée, ripe with fairly rich, sweet fruit. Soft and rounded on the palate, fairly rich and flattering as perhaps the nose suggested, with a gentle acid core. Broad but slightly diffuse, but with lots of good flavour. Nice style. 16-17+/20

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre La Demoiselle 2008: This has an impressive nose, showing a little stone fruit, ripe and broad in character but also precise. There are primary, green edges, of asparagus and grass. On the palate it is full, slightly mealy, youthful and awkward; this has lots of worthy components which need to integrate. Perhaps a touch beany on the palate, with some green vegetal components too, but it is broad and it certainly has substance. Parts of this wine suggest great potential, but other components introduce an element of doubt. 16.5-17.5+?/20

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Les Romains 2007: A quite pungent, attractive nose of mineral fruit here; a rich character, with almost a touch of honey to it, but it is the mineral elements that are most memorable. The palate is round, quite soft, but with a good substance. There is much firmer structure in the midpalate, where although nicely rounded there is a touch of power. An attractive wine. 17+/20

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Génération XIX 2007: This has a very impressive nose, a mineral pungency being the most admirable character; it is better than I recall from my tasting nearly a year ago. There are some rich, honeyed elements in the mix that weren't there before. The palate has a big, rounded, impressive character, with minerally style. Broad and ever so slightly soft-focus and softly textured, but nevertheless still an enormously attractive wine which will make delightful drinking given time. 18+/20

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Cuvée Edmond 2007: Wow! the nose here is very fine; defined, fine-tuned Sauvignon fruit, restrained and yet with generous, almost opulent suggestions. The palate possesses a very smoothly polished style, again a little soft-focus but more delineated than the Génération XIX in this vintage. The fruit flavour dominates the minerals here, leading into a slightly mealy finish. For that reason I think on this tasting I prefer the Génération XIX, but it is a closely-run race. 17.5+/20

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Rouge La Demoiselle 2006: This has a very pretty nose, with lovely ripe and fresh fruit. Some good density too, slightly smoky, with notes of beetroot and coffee; this is impressive. The palate is fine, fresh, well balanced, round and polished. At the core fine and ripe tannins, with a good firm acidity too. Very pretty fruit, although a serious character alongside, dense and broad too. A remarkable wine for the appellation. 17.5+/20

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Rouge Les Grands Champs 2006: Slightly brighter fruit on the nose here, smoky character, lifted and lively, and yet also dense and concentrated. This is really stylish. Pure, balanced, beautifully textured and really very composed and elegant. This is so well poised on the palate, it is just superb; the structure is matched by an incredible panoply of fruit, coffee-edged, oak-tinged, tense, balanced and harmonious. It just keeps getting better. Excellent wine. 18+/20

Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Rouge Génération XIX 2006: The nose here is really excellent; a touch less exuberant perhaps, more restrained, with coffee again, and perhaps a hint of fine, elegant, dark chocolate. The fruit is certainly less prominent here, replaced by more complex suggestions. The palate is just beautiful, harmonious, with a very polished tannic backbone providing an elgant grip, but laid on top is a fine, silky texture. This has a really remarkable style which, to my surprise, tops the quality found in the Grands Champs and Demoiselles which I did not imagine would be surpassed. A hugely impressive wine. 18.5+/20