From 1929 until 1976, excepting the years of the Second World War which he mostly spent interned as a POW, Gaston Huet made Vouvray – in more ways than one. The fame of Vouvray rests with him more than anyone else. He laboured tirelessly in the appellation’s best vineyards, making Chenin Blanc that entranced drinkers worldwide with its intensity and ageability. These days, Huet is no longer in the family, but Vouvray native Benjamin Joliveau is the winemaker. The domaine remains as strong as ever, making Vouvray’s finest wines.

The Huet wines have always been made in varying degrees of sweetness, according to the site and the vintage conditions. The sec wines have around 4-5 grams of residual sugar and taste dry. Demi-sec is recognised by purists as the definining style of the appellation, and will have around 18-20 grams of residual sugar. The mellow moëlleux is a sweeter style, typically with around 30 grams of residual sugar. Moëlleux première trie is a sweeter selection from grapes that have either been affected by botrytis or dried by sun and wine. Cuvée Constance is only made in occasional vintages, when conditions allow, from grapes fully affected by botrytis. In all of these wines, residual sugar helps to reign in the striking acidity. Chenin Blanc has naturally high acidity, here abetted by Vouvray’s northerly latitude and the fact the wines do not go through malolactic conversion. (It’s not encouraged, and the cellars are probably too cold). The high acidity is the main reason these wines really want some time in the cellar, and can be phenomenally long-lived.

As the name suggests, Haut-Lieu (‘high place’) is one of the highest spots in the appellation, with the vineyard at the summit. All of Huet’s vineyards have a sun-catching southern exposure; where Haut-Lieu is precocious, le Mont is usually the last to be picked. (NT 03/04/24)