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Domaine Huet Update, February 2009

The 2007 vintage seems to mark something of a turning point in my relationship with the wines of Domaine Huet. Whereas I have visited the estate several times, and tasted many wines, I don't think I have been quite as familiar with any vintage as I have with the 2007s. I first met the wines in April 2008 at a Biodyvin tasting hosted by Alain Mouiex at Chateau Fonroque, when they were among a small number of representatives from the Loire including François Chidaine and Alphonse Mellot. They were plainly very good, a feeling that I had confirmed when I met them again at the domaine in the summer of the same year. Now this is my third tasting of the vintage, albeit a somewhat broader one, as it includes a couple of cuvées not previously encountered. My impression of the wines remains the same; they are very good. They are, however, overshadowed a little by the 2008s based on this showing.

This is perhaps at first surprising, as 2008 was not a perfect summer by a long shot. It was damp and miserable at times, and at one point there was a dramatic storm over Vouvray which flooded the road outside Domaine Huet, the rue de la Croix Buisée, turning it into a small but fast-flowing river. Cars were damaged and trees uprooted. There was undoubtedly a threat to the vines; such inclement weather brings the threat of rot, but the conditions were such that access to the vineyards in order to tend to the vines was limited. Some fruit was lost, and yields across the whole domaine were down, totalling just 25 hl/ha in 2008. What fruit was harvested tended to be richer in malic acid, reflecting the cool and damp vintage.

Despite this the quality is evidently high in 2008. There was less focus on sec than in 2007, and more on demi-sec cuvées. On tasting the latter wines, I found them to be absolutely thrilling. I haven't tasted demi-sec wines as good as the 2008 Haut Lieu and Le Mont cuvées for a long time. Of the première trie wines shown, from Le Mont and Clos du Bourg, the latter was clearly the greater wine, and for me one of the most delicious, profound and cellar-worthy wines of the whole 2009 Salon - so much so that I gave it due credit with a mention in my Salon Top Ten (although I was so blown away by the demi-secs I actually gave them top billing). (26/3/09)

Domaine Huet, February 2009 - Tasting Notes

The wines below were tasted in Angers at the Salon des Vins de Loire in February 2009. All my notes on the wines of Domaine Huet, including those below, are collated under my Domaine Huet profile. Click to locate stockists.

Domaine Huet Vouvray Le Haut Lieu Sec 2008: Unfinished and certainly still cloudy wine. The nose is very attractive though, fruit-rich, with vibrantly precise pear aromas. The palate is similarly bursting with fruit, with good midpalate substance and grip, and a fine acidity too. Broad, peppery but precise, this has excellent potential. 17-17.5+/20

Domaine Huet Vouvray Clos du Bourg Sec 2008: Pear and bitter stone fruits on the nose of this wine, which doesn't seem too expressive otherwise. The palate is superb though; fresh and clean, with good substance through the midpalate, florally precise fruit and lots of stony acidity. Firm and defined through to the finish. This is really impressive; a true vin de garde. 17.5-18+/20

Domaine Huet Vouvray Le Haut Lieu Demi-Sec 2008: There is 27 g/l of residual sugar in this cuvée. It kicks off with a very attractive, floral nose with a pretty, aromatic character over gently golden fruits, although I suspect with time this will show more richness on the nose. The palate is just fabulous; explosive, lively and vivacious, before revealing a firm and stony backbone in the midpalate, a broad sweetness and fine acids. Great balance right through to the finish. Brilliant wine. 18-18.5+/20

Domaine Huet Vouvray Le Mont Demi-Sec 2008: This also has 27 g/l residual sugar. It is a little more withdrawn than the Haut Lieu tasted alongside, perhaps showing a more mineral character, with tense, tightly wound fruit. The palate has acidity and minerality to the fore, and seems to be at the drier end of the demi-sec spectrum on the palate despite the residual sugar figure. It has a gentle, fleshy roundness but a great minerally character and a precise and defined nature. More serious, but no less brilliant. 18-18.5+/20

Domaine Huet Vouvray Le Haut Lieu Moelleux 2008: The sugar here is 54 g/l. The nose carries a touch of floral honey, but it is a broad and minerally character which dominates most. The palate is beautifully flattering, with fleshy richness but also good freshness, acidity and a stylish, elegant character. This is a broad wine with lovely balance of structure, but it is not a huge wine. I prefer the two preceding demi-secs on this tasting. 17-17.5+/20

Domaine Huet Vouvray Le Mont Moelleux Première Trie 2008: This cuvée carries 65 g/l of residual sugar. It has a fairly reticent nose today, gently mineral, but with the suggestion of precision. It has a greater texture and vinosity than the straight moelleux, with powerful midpalate minerality and a broad, textured finished spiced with brighter mineral notes. Rich but also elegant, with great potential. 17.5-18+/20

Domaine Huet Vouvray Clos du Bourg Moelleux Première Trie 2008: The residual sugar here is 66 g/l. It is a touch firmer and more concentrated than the equivalent Le Mont, with gently golden fruit on the nose and a white pepper minerality. This latter character kicks off the palate, which has a finesse that then broadens out to show beautiful fruit and then a fine, delineated finish. The acidity and textured mineral qualities are perfectly balanced, the wine has superb elegance overall, with a very pure and lifted style. This is just stunning wine. 18.5-19+/20

Domaine Huet Vouvray Le Haut Lieu Sec 2007: This has about 7 g/l residual sugar, and this is my third taste of this cuvée. The nose is clean, with good minerality. The palate is nicely integrated, with nice smoky minerality showing today, over a good weighty midpalate. Lots of good substance here, with a fresh, sappy, mouth-watering finish. Lovely wine. 17+/20

Domaine Huet Vouvray Le Mont Sec 2007: Strangely I haven't tasted this cuvée before, despite having tasted the Clos du Bourg and Haut Lieu wines twice before now. This has 8 g/l sugar. There is mineral but also floral character on the nose, which offers gentle and harmonious fruit in a very gentle style. A fine palate, harmonious and integrated, with beautifully fresh acidity. This has a fine character, with good but gentle grip at the finish. Another fine effort. 17+/20

Domaine Huet Vouvray Clos du Bourg Sec 2007: This wine, which has about 7 g/l residual sugar, is a little less open and expressive compared to the other sec cuvées. I have found this to be the case on previous tastings. The palate is very fine though, showing great balance and harmony, with good grip beneath. Lots of good acid and minerality, and underneath it all a little more power than either the Haut Lieu or Le Mont I think; I think if considering the cellar this is the best of the three. In time, this vin de garde should be very good. 17.5+/20

Domaine Huet Vouvray Le Haut Lieu Demi-Sec 2007: My first time tasting any demi-sec from this vintage. This has 21 g/l of residual sugar, and has an elegant and gently floral nose. There is spicy minerality too, although otherwise it is not hugely expressive. The style though is very appealing, with a lovely depth and peppery minerality, and a precise power and acidity. Fine stuff. 17+/20

Domaine Huet Vouvray Le Mont Demi-Sec 2007: Up to 24 g/l residual sugar here, and again the nose is rounded, soft, floral and gentle. The palate follows on in the same vein, a very harmonious one, with delightfully flattering residual sugar but also very fine and defining acidity. As a result it has a lovely freshness too. There is a good substance and fine style; it doesn't show the potential seen in the 2008s but nevertheless this is very drinkable. 17+/20

Domaine Huet Vouvray Clos du Bourg Moelleux 2007: Honey and flower petals on the nose, with a fine and flattering style. The residual sugar is 46 g/l (it seems to have lost 3 g/l since 2008 when it was 49 g/l!), and this shows on the palate which has a gently fat nature with a broad but balanced weight. It has more overt sugary weight towards the finish but it remains bright and fresh, with a little bitter grip, throughout. Fine stuff with very good potential for the cellar. 17+/20

Domaine Huet Vouvray Pétillant 2001: I have already tasted this latest release of Huet's successful pétillant cuvée at the domaine last year - and added some to the cellar. The wine has a lovely smoky minerality, with an intense palate showing firm and stony character. But it has a generosity too, a creamy presence of fruit, but principally this is a wine of smoky, gun-flinty, rock-dust minerality. This is delicious stuff. 17.5+/20