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Henri Bourgeois HB 330 2018

This week’s Weekend Wine choice takes us into uncharted waters. A sweet wine from the Central Vineyards, made by one of the Sancerre’s leading names, Henri Bourgeois.

The Loire Valley enjoys a fabulous reputation for its sweet wines. The concentration of sugars by either passerillage (dehydration as the bunches are left hanging on the vine) or by botrytis (an accelerated dehydration following puncture of the grape skin by noble rot) can produce superb results. The former produces wines of focus and linearity, the latter wines of breadth and added botrytis complexity (this is already beginning to feel like my 1989 vs 1990, Blur vs Oasis question from a few weeks ago), but both work well.

The variety involved is usually Chenin Blanc of course, although Romorantin can also work rather well, its acidity a good foil for the sugar. As a consequence the sweet wines tend to emanate from the Anjou, Touraine and – to a lesser extent – the Saumur regions, where Chenin Blanc is king. Racking my brains as hard as I can, I do not think I can recall tasting a sweet wine from the Pays Nantais or from the Massif Central (feel free to put me straight by email if I have overlooked an obvious contender). There is, however, a very limited tradition of the style in the Central Vineyards, although they are as rare as hen’s teeth. I can count the number of examples I have tasted on the fingers of my left foot. If you see what I mean.

Well, this is now about to change. To celebrate 330 years of winemaking history (which is the done thing – I also have a big celebration planned for my 330th birthday in the year 2300) the Bourgeois family have released this ultra rare Vin de France cuvée, named – appropriately enough – HB 330.

Henri Bourgeois HB 330 2018

What really sets this cuvée apart is not the family’s claimed 330 years of winemaking history, but its own story. The grapes used are 100% Sauvignon Blanc, as you would expect, harvested from vines grown on the Kimmeridgian marls of Chavignol. In a season marked by warm temperatures and a crop which was of high quality but also voluminous, the Bourgeois family decided to leave a proportion of the harvest hanging on the vines. There it stayed until mid-December, until it was eventually picked on the 14th of the month, when the mercury had dropped to -6ºC. As a consequence, the concentration here was achieved not only through passerillage, but also through freezing; a very gentle pressing over 18 hours liberated some incredibly concentrated juice, while the frozen water crystals remained in the press.

In other words, this cuvée is distinctive not only for its region of origin and variety, but also for the concentration process; this is as close as you are going to get to a Ligérian ice wine.

The must fermented slowly in Tronçais oak barrels, with élevage in same for 18 months, It has been bottled in just 330 dinky half bottles, emblazoned with golden labels, golden neck decoration and even golden wax.

In the glass the HB 330 from Henri Bourgeois presents a peachy and lightly burnished golden (there’s a theme!) hue. This is followed by a quite gorgeous nose, very expressive, bursting with caramelised pineapple and grilled yellow peach, before moving into an array of sweet mango, vanilla, ginger and barley sugar. The palate is a mouthful of velvet and mango cream, textural yet linear, and backed up by veins of bitter phenolics which give it a sense of vivacity and drive. The acidity here feels modest, the fruit and texture doing all the talking at the finish, but it maintains a sense of freshness and vigour. Overall this is a real delight. Credit to Arnaud Bourgeois and the Bourgeois family for creating this unique cuvée. The residual sugar is 145 g/l, and the alcohol on the label is 14%. 95/100 (14/9/26)

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