Domaine Huet: Winemaking
The grapes are hand harvested, which enables picking by successive tries – each tri being a separate pass by the workers through the vineyard. This enables the selection of only the best bunches of the ripest grapes, and the picking of individual botrytised berries. The best selection is destined for the première trie wines; these are not, despite the suggestion, solely derived from the first picking in the vineyard. These wines are made from the highest quality, botrytised fruit, which may of course be brought in on second, third or subsequent tries, depending on the weather and how rapidly or slowly the botrytis develops. The style of wine made in any one year therefore depends solely on the character of the growing season. In a difficult vintage, such as 2012, a late season dogged by mildew with rain during the harvest, ripening will be significantly retarded, and the wines that result will largely (perhaps exclusively) be sec. In a more benevolent vintage, such as 2009, the full range will be made from sec right up to moelleux and moelleux première trie.
The fruit is naturally 100% Chenin Blanc, this being the only variety used in the appellation. In truth the Vouvray cahier des charges also allows for up to 5% Menu Pineau, also known as Arbois (or even Orbois in this region) although I am not aware of anyone taking advantage of this, and it is certainly not utilised here at Domaine Huet. Once at the cellars the fruit is pressed and the juice fermented, the principal vessel for such being either one of a number of temperature-controlled stainless steel vats squeezed into one of the cellar’s galleries, or in demi-muids, mostly older wood although occasionally it is of course necessary to introduce a newer barrel.
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