Wine Advisor
Huet, Vouvray Le Haut Lieu Sec 2013
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Stephan Reinhardt
The straw-yellow colored 2013 Vouvray Le Haut-Lieu Sec shows a deep and quite intense and concentrated bouquet of roasted apples, ripe pears and peaches along with initially slightly yeasty, then chalky and lemon-fresh flavors. Medium-bodied but concentrated and full-flavored on the palate, with an intense and slightly sweet fruit counterpointed by the pronounced, not yet fully integrated 2013-acidity cutting through the chalky texture, this is an impressively good representative from a difficult vintage. Very compact and aromatic in the still slightly austere finish, this wine is still on its long way and should be stored for another 6-7 years, but can go for about 25+ years. In its steely and concentrated character, Le Haut-Lieu reminds me a little bit of first class Chablis.
Reviewed by: Payne
Bright yellow. Pineapple, almond, white flowers and peppercorn on the nose. Creamy in texture, with juicy mango fruit elegantly supported by vibrant acidity. Appetizing, nicely balanced, refreshing dry Vouvray, with crisp green apple lingering on the finish.
About the Producer
Since its founding in 1928, Vouvray’s Domaine Huet has been the standard-bearer for great, age-worthy Chenin Blanc. And to this day, year after year, the estate produces some of the world’s most compelling white wines—and in a remarkable range that spans sparkling, dry, semi-dry, and breathtaking dessert styles. Chenin Blanc has been identified with Vouvray since at least the 9th century, and many of its great vineyards were known by the 14th century. By those standards, the 90+-year-old Huet estate is relatively young. Yet it was this youngster that established, once and for all, that Vouvray was capable of world-class quality. The domaine’s founder, Victor Huët, was a Parisian bistro owner. However, with lungs and nerves shattered by his experiences in WWI, Victor re-settled to the town of Vouvray in France’s beautiful Loire Valley. He soon purchased the first of his great vineyards, Le Haut-Lieu, in 1928, and Domaine Huet was born. The Grand Crus For all his salesmanship, Gaston understood clearly that quality must come first—and that quality started with great vineyards. His Le Haut-Lieu parcel, which lies on Vouvray’s “Première Côte” (or “first slope”), is home to virtually all the appellation’s acknowledged grand cru vineyards. As the estate prospered in the post-WWII era, Gaston secured two additional prime vineyards on the Première Côte that would ensure the domaine’s stature: Le Mont (purchased in 1957) and Clos du Bourg (farmed since 1953, purchased in 1963). Collectively, these three vineyards, and the wines made from them, account for Huet being the greatest of all Vouvray producers.
