I can’t recommend the wines of Domaine Huet enough. They are unquestionably the most respected producer of Vouvray in the Loire. The wines are of the highest quality, are absolutely delicious, last for decades and don’t cost the earth. They should be in everyone’s cellar to drink now or over the next half century. Indeed, Jancis Robinson MW describes them as "whites that last a century... some of the greatest wines in the world".
The wines are divided into four succint styles and produced from three vineyards. which I explain below:
The Three Vineyards
Le Haut-Lieu is the oldest of these sites whose wines display a gratifyingly rich, almost tropical, flavour in youth allied to a nervy tension of bursting fresh acidity.
Le Clos du Bourg is best known for being a touch more subdued and focussed than the other sites. It has a purity of expression that is intoxicating.
Le Mont is so often the most intense and seductive of this trio in youth. Dense and richly layered it also offers some of the greatest rewards with age.
The Different Styles
For the styles, do not become fixated on sugar or the concept of sweetness. This would be a mistake and rob you of the true appeal of the wines. All of Huet’s wines are defined by their direct flavours and sense of energetic, taut, freshness regardless of their level of sweetness. It is the articulation of each individual style from each respective vineyard that is so amazing to experience. The styles are:
Sec - the driest style defined by yellow plum, crunchy apple fruit and citrusy verve and lift. Drink 2 – 7+ years.
Demi-Sec - lovely silky texture allied to riper plumper fruit with a harmonious purity and balance. Drink 5 – 12+ years.
Moelleux - tropical, heady fruit in tension with aromatics of citrus blossom and white flowers. Drink 10 – 18+ years.
Première Trie - lustrous, golden tinged fruit with otherworldly complexity and length. Drink 12 – 30+ years.
The most recent release featured wines from the 2016 vintage and full details can be found here.
Malcolm Willatts
Private Client Sales