In the 1920s, Alphonse Mellot was the first Sancerre producer to exhibit his wines at the Foire de Paris exposition. He went on to win a number of medals at various food and wine events. Alphonse Mellot was one of the most important and influential winemakers from the Loire Valley and the result of his tireless efforts and strict attention to detail in the family's vineyards and at expositions have enabled the Mellot family to remain at the forefront of producing high quality, award-winning wines.

When Alexandre Mellot took over the family estate in the 1980s, he decided to extend the vineyards and modernize the winery equipment. Considerable changes have taken place over the past twenty years. However, the attention placed on crafting fine wines and how that translates into each individual bottle of wine produced has been a constant throughout the last five centuries of the winery's existence. The vineyards used for the “Chatellanie” cuvée are planted in clay/limestone soil rich in flint, which contributes to the delicacy and distinctive gunflint character of the wine.

The 2005 sancerre Chatellenie is a pale golden color with green tints in the glass and offers a lovely nose loaded with white flower and gunflint notes. The palate is harmoniously balanced between creamy white fruits and more flint, giving the finish a pleasing austerity. This wine has great finesse and a truly delectable delicacy. Serve with garden salads, goat cheese, bouillabaisse, baked ham or pork loin. A winner.

—Donald