Domaine Huet

Touraine

The Vouvray wine-producing area lies six miles to the east of Tours on the right bank of the Loire River. The region first began to produce wine in the year 372 when the Marmoutier monastery was founded by Saint Martin. A deep layer of chalk known as tuffeau forms the subsoil for the plateau. Clay and gravel overlie this chalk. Vouvray wines develop their remarkable character from this chalk and from the more moderate climate in this part of the Loire Valley.

The Vouvray Appellation d'Origine Controlée, created in 1936, covers 1,800 hectares encompassing eight communes and represents around 300 wine-producing estates. The authorised grape variety is exclusively Chenin Blanc, or Pineau Blanc de la Loire. The only pruning allowed is short pruning with one or two spurs of two or three buds per branch, bearing in mind that a vine stock should never have more than thirteen buds. If carefully grown and vinified Chenin Blanc is capable of remarkable wines ranging through Sec, Demi-sec, or Moëlleux. With bottle development, which can go on for many decades, these wines take on a complex bouquet and taste including pear, quince, apple, honey, flowers, and anise.

Founded in 1928, the Huet estate now covers 35 hectares divided between three properties: Le Haut-Lieu, Le Mont and Le Clos du Bourg. 15 % of vines are between 1 and 10 years old, 35 % of vines are between 10 and 30 years old and 50 % of vines are between 30 and 50 years old. Since the death of Gaston Huet, day-to-day operations are now under the full control of his son-in-law Noël Pinguet. Perhaps the most respected name in Vouvray, the Huet family has been making wine of the highest quality for four generations. Sweet or dry, still or sparkling, botrytis affected or not, according to the vintage, Chenin Blanc from Huet ages phenomenally.

Originally phased in gradually, the biodynamic method of cultivation has been implemented throughout the vineyards since 1990. It is an approach that recognises the vineyard, thought of in its widest sense, (the parent rock, workable land, plants and animals) as an individual organism.


The Vineyards
Le Mont
Le Mont is an 8-hectare estate which borders the slopes of the Loire Valley, in the first slopes area. The soil is pebbly and consists mainly of green-coloured clay and silica. The wines produced are elegant and feminine.

Le Haut-Lieu
This estate covers 9 hectares, with very deep clayey limestone soil, predominantly brown clay, along with calcareous and silica based soils. This rather heavy soil generally produces supple wines.

Le Clos du Bourg
This 6-hectare "Clos", surrounded by stone walls, is located on the first slopes above the church in Vouvray. In the 7th century, this was a fiefdom owned by the Saint Martin collegiate church in Tours. The rather thin soil, only about one metre in depth, lies in direct contact with the non-active limestone. Le Clos du Bourg produces a powerful and well-structured wine.

Rajat Parr's 2010 book Secrets of the Sommeliers lists Huet's Clos du Borg Sec as his example of "iconic" Chenin Blanc with the following quote: "Powerful, structured Chenin with bracing acid and deep concentration. Closed when young but flowers after twenty years, emitting a world of aromas from meadow flowers to hay to ripe peaches to pears." Page 49.




Huet SecVouvray Sec 2010 Le Haut Lieu
A lovely fresh nose of fresh white fruits. The entry is clean and lively, with a round, minerally finish. It makes a great accompaniment to grilled fish, seafoods and salads. It can be cellared for 10 to 15 years.

"Superracy, floral and pure, with enticing ginger, quince and mineral notes that ripple through the filigreed finish. Lovely orange blossom and honeysuckle notes fill in the background. Dry, but still generous, with impressive length. Best from 2013 through 2018. "
92 points, Wine Spectator Insider, Dec 31, 2011

"Residual sugar 8.2 g/l, alcohol 12.85%. Good fresh fruit, bright and slightly lemony. A lovely stony presence on the nose, nothing to suggest softness or seduction here, but there is a lovely purity of stone fruit. Very correct on entry, there is a light flesh to it but it brings substance and breadth which is countered by the very attractive acid. A good, substantial finish. Very balanced, polished and approachable. It has a nice tingle from the acids though, even if the acid is rather subtle otherwise. Tangible substance on the finish."
17-18+/20, winedoctor.com, Jan 2011


Visit Domaine Huet
All wines are available by the unmixed case to Licensees and Private Consumers, subject to availability.
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