RWC Nesletter Special Edition | The Soul of Huët - The Rare Wine Co.

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Domaine Huët’s Three “Grand Crus” The measure of a great domaine is its vineyards, and Huët arguably has not only the finest vineyards in Vouvray but one of the most extraordinary collections of terroirs in France. The vineyards were acquired over a thirty-five year period, first by Victor Huët, and then later by Gaston. Father and son were drawn to the sites not only by their soil and exposure, but also their long histories of producing LE HAUT-LIEU This historic vineyard, the estate’s first, was purchased by Victor Huët in November of 1928, and for decades was the heart and soul of the domaine. Long considered one of Vouvray’s greatest vineyards, Le Haut-Lieu, not surprisingly, enjoys one of the appellation’s highest elevations. Its lower manoir served as Gaston’s office and residence for most of his life. Among the three “grand crus,” its nine hectares have the richest soils and, generally, the site yields the most precocious, generously textured wines. LE MONT Le Mont was the second great vineyard to be added to the domaine, purchased by Gaston in 1957. Mentioned in documents as early as the fifteenth century, the site’s topsoil is relatively high in iron, and has less clay and more stone than Le Haut-Lieu. Consequently, Le Mont yields young wines of intense minerality which, with age, develop great length and finesse. John Gilman has called Le Mont, “unquestionably one of the greatest (vineyards) in all of Vouvray.” the area’s finest wines. Each vineyard is located on Vouvray’s vaunted “Première Côte” (or “first slope”) atop a subsoil of yellow limestone or tuffeau. But thanks to different topsoils, each cru has an unmistakably unique character. Since 1991, the potential of each site has been magnified by Gaston Huët’s and Noël Pinguet’s bold decision to apply strict biodynamic techniques. CLOS DU BOURG | 5 | Clos du Bourg is considered by many, including Gaston Huët, to be the domaine’s—and the appellation’s—greatest vineyard. The domaine sourced fruit here beginning in 1953, and purchased the vineyard in 1963 from Charles Vavasseur, a key figure in Vouvray history. This ancient, walled vineyard dates back to at least the eighth century and has one of the shallowest, stoniest topsoils on the Première Côte, with its roughly one meter of clay, silt and pebbles transitioning to the tuffeau limestone subsoil. This combination of soils, according to John Gilman, produces “one of the most powerfully built and ageworthy wines in Vouvray.”
Ultimate Nectar The Magical 2008 Moelleux 1ère Tries For long-time Rare Wine Co. customers, the Moelleux 1ère Trie cuvées define the wonder of this historic domaine. They are, of course, the richest, sweetest, wines that Huët makes—but they’ve only been made in 14 vintages since 1971. When we had the chance in the early 1990s, we and our customers filled our cellars with the '89 and '90 Moelleux 1ère Tries and are still savoring their timeless magic—an ambrosial marriage of lush, floral fruit, with the crisp, citrus-tinged acidity that is the domaine’s hallmark. The 2008 Le Mont and Clos du Bourg 1ère Tries are destined for decades of development. Just $56.50 when you buy 6 bottles of 1ère Trie, mix or match. Don’t miss them. 2008 Le Mont Moelleux 1ère Trie $59.95 bt. $339 00 any 6 bts. 1ère Trie John Gilman: “96 rating ... blazing purity, stunning intensity ... laser-like presentation of its underlying terroir ... The superb, vibrant bouquet roars from the glass in a blend of oranges, sweet grapefruit, a beautiful base of soil tones, orange peel, a gentle touch of lanolin, very discreet notes of honeycomb and a gently floral topnote. ... kaleidoscopic minerality ... striking soil inflection, and a nearly endless finish ...” 2008 Clos du Bourg Moelleux 1ère Trie $59.95 bt. $339 00 any 6 bts. 1ère Trie John Gilman: “95+ rating ... a magical bouquet of pink grapefruit, honeycomb, apples, utterly refined and complex soil tones, orange peel and a complex floral topnote that recalls both apple blossoms and bee pollen. On the palate the wine is deep, pure, complex and fullbodied, with a beautiful core of fruit, great focus and cut, bright acids and outstanding length and grip on the supremely elegant finish.” The Magic Starts in the Vines ... The greatness of today’s Huët wines is in part due to Gaston’s and Noël’s 1991 decision to convert the entire domaine to biodynamic viticulture. At that time, no domaine in France of greater stature had taken such a step. Motivated by a desire to rid the vines of chemicals, the domaine established some experimental biodynamic plots in Clos du Bourg in 1988. Yields and ripeness remained roughly the same, but Noël and Gaston found that the wines produced from bio plots had much more expressive personalities than the non-bio plots. “” ... carrying on the traditions of uncompromising brilliance ... John Gilman on Huët today | 6 | Anthony Hwang and Noël Pinguet in Le Haut-Lieu In addition to allowing the domaine to avoid chemicals, biodynamic farming is also thought to be anathema to phylloxera. And so the domaine has been working quietly with traditional French rootstock (“Franc de Pied”), which many believe produces highly distinctive wines. The results have been promising, and most recently, the domaine has begun to plant vines on traditional rootstock, which will be ready for production in a few years. Harvest at the domaine is carried out entirely by hand, an uncommon practice in the Loire.
Page 1 and 2: THE RARE WINE CO. NEWSLETTER SPECIA
Page 3 and 4: Vouvray’s Son Gaston Huët, 1910-
Page 5: A Screaming Value The 94-Rated 2008
Page 9: Aged bottles of Domaine Huët’s M

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