The most Burgundy leaning of Mellot’s 2022, it harnesses both the deep texture and natural chalky electricity of the Chavignol slopes, offering dense orchard fruit, mandarin, orange oil and a lick of classy oak, all wrapped up in a frame of salinity and stony energy. The finish is intense and wonderfully refined, lingering with mouthwatering grip. By the way, the wine was named by Alphonse Mellot Sr as a tongue-in-cheek riposte to his friends in Chavignol, pointing to where he believes the village stands in the Sancerre pecking order! Mellot’s great friend Gérard Boulay was only mildly amused. It’s a striking Sancerre that really needs another two to three years to show its true colours.