Domaine Huet Vouvray Le Clos du Bourg Moelleux 1ere Trie 1997
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Gaston Huet and his wife built up a domaine with a formidable reputation over the years following its creation by Victor Huet, his father, in 1928. Gaston, war hero and one-time mayor of Vouvray, managed the family domaine from 1947 until his death in 2002. He was a prisoner for most of the Second World War and longed for his home and for the taste of his Vouvray. He managed to arrange a special wine celebration in the POW camp. "It saved our sanity… Talking about wine and sharing it made all of us feel closer to home and more alive. It was only a thimbleful but it was glorious and the best wine I ever drank." Remaining true to the philosophy of the founders, Sarah Hwang and Jean-Bertrand Berthomé continue to craft superbly long-lived Chenin Blanc from their three vineyards. From lively sparkling to unctuous Moelleux, the Domaine Huet range is the most extraordinary way to venture into Vouvray.
The Huet Style: The entirety of the vineyard plantings at the estate were given over to the versatile and often under-appreciated Chenin Blanc. Climate plays a huge part in the wine-making in each vintage with warmer years creating unctuously sweet wines (Moelleux for which Huet is renowned and doux the sweetest of all styles). Cooler vintages result in fruit which is used in the production of vivacious demi-sec, bone-dry sec or pétillant sparkling wines. It is important to emphasise that regardless of the sweetness level, the hallmark of Chenin Blanc and indeed Domaine Gaston Huet is an unmistakable freshness and natural acidity which permit the wines to age for centuries.
Biodynamic techniques have been used at all of Domaine Huet's vineyards since 1990. The estate comprises three vineyards, all with their own unique blueprint and personality: Le Haut-Lieu, Le Clos du Bourg and Le Mont. The original vineyard, Le Haut-Lieu (literally meaning ‘the high place’) surrounds the house and extends for some nine hectares. The soil is made up of three metres of clay at the surface, underpinned by Vouvray’s famous sedimentary limestone. Its wines are opulent and approachable when young but are genuine vins de gardes and benefit from long-term ageing.
Le Clos du Bourg, which was purchased by Gaston in 1953, is the oldest site in the appellation of Vouvray, dating back to the eighth century. The allure of this vineyard is not entirely contained within its neat and historic walls but moreover its reputation for producing formidable sweet wines. The final musketeer completing the trio is the most famous, Le Mont, with its green-tinged soils and late-harvesting vines from which Gaston produced his longest-lived and arguably most famous wines.
Weather: The 1997 vintage in the Loire Valley is widely regarded as one of the standout years of the 1990s. Despite a challenging start to the growing season, the region experienced a remarkable turnaround, leading to the production of exceptional wines across various appellations. The season began ominously from frosts in April and May and an exceptionally wet and cold June. July and August brought a dramatic shift to hot and dry weather. The favourable conditions extended into September and early October, allowing optimal ripening. This period was particularly beneficial for late-harvest varieties, especially Chenin Blanc destined for sweet wines. Top-tier sweet wines from 1997 continue to drink beautifully, showcasing complexity and depth that have developed over nearly three decades.
Technical Information:
Grape Varieties: 100% Chenin Blanc
Region: Loire
Vineyard: Le Clos du Bourg
Alcohol: 12.5 %
Closure: Cork
Drink: Now to 2035+
Tasting Note: Opens with a highly delicate, crystalline, clear and aromatic bouquet with herbal and chalky-mineral aromas plus a dash of lemon juice. Pure, straight and fresh on the palate, this Clos du Bourg reveals a marvelous lightness, precision and crystallinity on the palate. It is straight, dense and vertical on the palate, showing great elegance, finesse and balance as well as complexity. The finish is long, full of energy, tension, grip and eternal youth. The fruit is highly delicate and precise here, of remarkable finesse and concentration but drawn with a pencil instead of a felt pen. - Tasted by Stephan Reinhardt
The Huet Style: The entirety of the vineyard plantings at the estate were given over to the versatile and often under-appreciated Chenin Blanc. Climate plays a huge part in the wine-making in each vintage with warmer years creating unctuously sweet wines (Moelleux for which Huet is renowned and doux the sweetest of all styles). Cooler vintages result in fruit which is used in the production of vivacious demi-sec, bone-dry sec or pétillant sparkling wines. It is important to emphasise that regardless of the sweetness level, the hallmark of Chenin Blanc and indeed Domaine Gaston Huet is an unmistakable freshness and natural acidity which permit the wines to age for centuries.
Biodynamic techniques have been used at all of Domaine Huet's vineyards since 1990. The estate comprises three vineyards, all with their own unique blueprint and personality: Le Haut-Lieu, Le Clos du Bourg and Le Mont. The original vineyard, Le Haut-Lieu (literally meaning ‘the high place’) surrounds the house and extends for some nine hectares. The soil is made up of three metres of clay at the surface, underpinned by Vouvray’s famous sedimentary limestone. Its wines are opulent and approachable when young but are genuine vins de gardes and benefit from long-term ageing.
Le Clos du Bourg, which was purchased by Gaston in 1953, is the oldest site in the appellation of Vouvray, dating back to the eighth century. The allure of this vineyard is not entirely contained within its neat and historic walls but moreover its reputation for producing formidable sweet wines. The final musketeer completing the trio is the most famous, Le Mont, with its green-tinged soils and late-harvesting vines from which Gaston produced his longest-lived and arguably most famous wines.
Weather: The 1997 vintage in the Loire Valley is widely regarded as one of the standout years of the 1990s. Despite a challenging start to the growing season, the region experienced a remarkable turnaround, leading to the production of exceptional wines across various appellations. The season began ominously from frosts in April and May and an exceptionally wet and cold June. July and August brought a dramatic shift to hot and dry weather. The favourable conditions extended into September and early October, allowing optimal ripening. This period was particularly beneficial for late-harvest varieties, especially Chenin Blanc destined for sweet wines. Top-tier sweet wines from 1997 continue to drink beautifully, showcasing complexity and depth that have developed over nearly three decades.
Technical Information:
Grape Varieties: 100% Chenin Blanc
Region: Loire
Vineyard: Le Clos du Bourg
Alcohol: 12.5 %
Closure: Cork
Drink: Now to 2035+
Tasting Note: Opens with a highly delicate, crystalline, clear and aromatic bouquet with herbal and chalky-mineral aromas plus a dash of lemon juice. Pure, straight and fresh on the palate, this Clos du Bourg reveals a marvelous lightness, precision and crystallinity on the palate. It is straight, dense and vertical on the palate, showing great elegance, finesse and balance as well as complexity. The finish is long, full of energy, tension, grip and eternal youth. The fruit is highly delicate and precise here, of remarkable finesse and concentration but drawn with a pencil instead of a felt pen. - Tasted by Stephan Reinhardt
