Huet Vouvray Demi-Sec "Le Mont" 2022
We have 12 in stock (Inventory is live and accurate)
The Land
Le Mont sits directly above Domaine Huet's cellars on the Première Côte of Vouvray, the south-facing slope that rises from the Loire just east of Tours. The vineyard covers about nine hectares of green-tinged clay studded with flint, silica and mica over limestone. The locals call this mix perruches. That deeper clay holds water through dry summers, and the porous tuffeau limestone below stores winter rain. The Biodyvin syndicate describes the soil as pebbly flint over deep green clay, and that flint is why Le Mont wines carry a smoky, stony edge the estate's other sites do not. Le Mont is usually the last of Huet's three vineyards to be picked, and its Chenin Blanc tends to be tight in youth. It is one of the defining terroirs of the Loire Valley.
The Wine
The Huet Vouvray Demi-Sec Le Mont 2022 is 100 percent Chenin Blanc, picked by hand in successive passes through the vineyard. Whole bunches are pressed, and the juice ferments with indigenous yeasts, split roughly evenly between tank and old demi-muids, in tuffeau cellars that hold around 13 degrees Celsius. Bottling comes in April after the harvest. Demi-sec here means roughly 21 grams of residual sugar, balanced by Chenin's acidity so the wine reads as off-dry rather than sweet. 2022 brought a nearly frost-free spring, 40 degree heat in mid-June and three summer heat waves. The deep roots found water and the drought kept disease away. Harvest began September 8 and ran six weeks. Expect quince, ripe pear, honeysuckle and beeswax, then a smoky, flinty, slightly earthy palate and a long, saline finish.
The People
Victor Huet came to Vouvray from Paris in 1928 and bought the first vines on Le Haut-Lieu with his son Gaston. Gaston survived years as a prisoner of war, came home to build the estate, and added Clos du Bourg and then Le Mont in the 1950s. His son-in-law Noël Pinguet ran the cellar from 1976 to 2012. He began biodynamic trials in 1988, and in 1996 he helped found the growers' association behind the Biodyvin label. Domaine Huet is Biodyvin certified today. The Hwang family bought the estate in the early 2000s. Jean-Bernard Berthomé, a longtime member of the team, carried the cellar after Pinguet. Benjamin Joliveau, a Vouvray native, now makes the wines. Few estates anywhere have kept this kind of consistency through three changes of leadership.
Food Pairing
Chill it, but not too hard; around 50 degrees opens the aromatics. Thai green curry with chicken and eggplant is the natural partner, since the touch of sweetness tames the chili and the acidity cuts the coconut. Roast pork loin with caramelized apples and sage works on the same logic. Seared scallops in brown butter pick up the wine's waxy texture. Finish with a ripe Sainte-Maure de Touraine, the local goat cheese, whose salt meets the wine's fruit. This is the bottle that makes takeout feel like a decision.
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The Loire Valley, often referred to as the "Garden of France," is a revered wine region that stretches along the Loire River, producing an array of distinct wines, including the crisp, sea-breeze influenced Muscadet near the Atlantic coast, the versatile and expressive Chenin Blanc in regions like Vouvray and Anjou, the elegantly fragrant Cabernet Franc from Chinon and Bourgueil, and the minerally complex Sauvignon Blanc-based Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé from its eastern vineyards. This is a reflection of the valley's varied terroir and climate, which together foster the creation of wines that are celebrated for their finesse, diversity, and food-friendliness.
Loire Valley
Chenin Blanc, celebrated for its high acidity and versatility, finds its most iconic expressions in the Loire Valley of France and the sun-drenched vineyards of South Africa. In the Loire Valley, it's the backbone of an array of styles, from vibrant, dry whites to lusciously sweet wines, showcasing the grape's remarkable ability to reflect terroir and respond to winemaking techniques. Meanwhile, South Africa has embraced Chenin Blanc, locally known as Steen, producing wines that range from fresh and fruity to complex and age-worthy, further cementing the grape's global appeal and adaptability.
