Alphonse Mellot Cotes de la Charite Rouge Les Penitents 2020 NO20230712 Throw it in the punch

Throw it in the punch bowl but be careful - 151 proof is no joke

The bitter edge stimulates appetite while the sweetness keeps it approachable

The blend of approximately 70% pears and 30% apples produces an array of complex fruit and oak influenced aromas

and developed flavors of stone fruit

and smooth

Alphonse Mellot Cotes de la Charite Rouge Les Penitents 2020 NO20230712 Throw it in the punchAlphonse Mellot is famous for Sancerre, but the family's roots sit close enough to Burgundy that they also grow Pinot Noir just outside the appellation lines. Les Penitents comes from Cotes de la Charite, a pocket of the upper Loire in the Nievre, farmed biodynamically like everything the estate touches. It's light bodied and silky, leading with fresh red fruit, a little earth and spice, and fine grained tannins that speak to real care in the cellar.