Domaine Huet Le Haut-Lieu Sec 2022

I asked my friend Nicolas from Famous Wine to recommend a wine. Of course the Frenchman chose a Vouvray. In our interview about Wine Label Design, Nicolas is emphatic about never purchasing a wine based solely on its design. He noted that a label may capture his attention and this could lead to more research about the producer, region and vintage; and a subsequent purchase. Domaine Huet feels like this sort of producer, where a few minutes of research would convince you to purchase the wine.

The Wine:

Elegant and profound aromas of baby powder, honeysuckles, sauteed slices of golden delicious apples into bruised apples, lemon verbena, dried naartjie peels or bergamot, smoked honey, sea spray and a distant note of herbal diluted chamomile tea. The mustiness of mustard seeds popping in a pan also came to mind.

Dry, racy mouthwatering acidity, medium bodied with subtle grapefruit pith texture, with a lengthy finish. Perfectly, crisp apples (coz we don’t eat floury apples!), bergamot, honey, and tart apricots...before expanding to sweet fresh straw, chamomile, bread dough, hazelnuts, bruised apples, almost into roasted pineapple before slipping back to flambeed sugar coated apples dripping apple flavoured globs of toffee as the sip dissipates. The palate has less pronounced intensity versus the beautiful nose.

Vini + Viti:

Chenin Blanc from a single vineyard, le Haut-Lieu - 15 ha of rich, brown clay soils. Huet has farmed biodynamically since 1988.

The grapes are picked by hand over 2-3 successive passes and at optimal maturity according to the desired style of wine. Each plot is vinified separately.

Whole bunches are pressed gently, then allowed to settle for 24 hours. After settling, the juice is transferred into a 50/50 mix of tanks and old demi-muids. Alcoholic fermentation proceeds naturally with indigenous yeasts. Once fermentation has completed, the wines are racked into old barrels where they spend the winter before being
bottled in April. Malolactic fermentation is neither encouraged nor discouraged.

Domaine Huet Le Haut-Lieu Sec 2022 back label

Final thoughts:

Nicolas had this to say about the wine:

The Domaine Huet is one of the most iconic. It operates three terroirs: Clos de Bourg, Le Mont and Le Haut-Lieu. There is only Chenin Blanc, the only grape variety allowed on the Vouvray appellation.

On each of the three plots, the Chenin is declined in dry, half-dry and sweet. Comparison tastings are super interesting. Le Haut-Lieu is the historical plot of the estate. The exposure is not really the best but the clay soil retains moisture well and this results in fruity wines easily and more quickly accessible.