As devotees of this world-class domaine will know, the beauty of Huet’s Vouvrays is found in the incredible breadth of styles: from bone-dry Sec wines, right through to the sweetest Moelleux.
It is rare to find all styles and sweetnesses in a single vintage at Domaine Huet. But 2016 has achieved just that. These are historically great cuvées from all three legendary vineyards: Le Haut Lieu, Clos du Bourg and Le Mont.
Solely the climate dictates the style of wine produced in any given vintage. Even cellar-master Jean-Bernard Berthomé himself does not know which styles or cuvées are to be made until the day they pick.
Such knife-edge unpredictability makes this a fascinating estate to follow every year.
2016 comes hot on the heels of two highly praised vintages, creating an unprecedented hat-trick. But as magical as the two earlier vintages were, 2016 stands as arguably the finest of the trio. The 2016s simply have more of everything: exquisite intensity and razor-like tension, profound complexity and viscerally thrilling textures. The sugar is hardly perceptible, vanishing in a ghostlike wave of minerality.
Greatness is not without difficulty, however, a late spring frost reduced the crop in Huet’s three crus by an average of 50%. Each of the three vineyards suffered. Clos du Bourg lost the most of its crop and Le Mont the least. So, while the low yields enhanced the wines’ concentration, it has massively affected availability. Praise came in thick and fast following the release of 2014 and 2015 and we expect the same, if not better, for the 2016s.
Demand for these mythical wines will be high as availability is limited, so we urge you to buy them now; not least because they represent such incredible value for money in the world of fine wine.
Edwina Watson
Buyer
