Vouvray Sec Le Haut Lieu
- White
- Chenin Blanc
Since its founding in 1928 by Victor Huët, Vouvray’s Domaine Huet has been the standard-bearer for great, age-worthy Chenin Blanc. The estate was an early pioneer of biodynamic viticulture, and credits it with helping them adapt to the dramatic weather conditions of recent vintages. The original Huet vineyard, Le Haut-Lieu, is nearly 9 hA. It has the richest soils of the domaine’s three crus—a deep limestone-clay—and the wines are generally the estate’s most approachable. Depending on the year, the winery can make wines ranging from very dry (Sec) to intensely sweet from each of their three great vineyards. In all cases, they seek to find the best balance that nature has given them from the vineyard and vintage.
Winemaking Information
Harvest is by hand, and occurs over 2-3 successive passes (“tries”) through the vineyards. Intact bunches are pressed into a 50/50 mix of tanks and old demi-muids, where alcoholic fermentation proceeds naturally with indigenous yeasts. When their alcoholic fermentations conclude, the wines are racked into old barrels where they spend the winter before bottling in April. Malolactic fermentation is neither encouraged nor discouraged.
Vineyard Information
Le Haut-Lieu: The original vineyard, it was purchased by Gaston Huet in 1928. Its 15 ha of rich, brown clay soils generally yield the estate’s most precocious and tangible wines.