2022 Domaine Huet Vouvray Le Haut-Lieu Moelleux Première Trie, Loire Valley

The 2022 Le Haut-Lieu Premiere Trie Moelleux is supple and fine with a high level of purity and finesse. It's delicate, light and precise despite its 95g/L of residual sugar. 

93 points Rebecca Gibb MW vinous.com

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Domaine Huet Vouvray Le Haut-Lieu Moelleux Première Trie is a remarkable, botrytis-affected Chenin Blanc from one of the Loire Valley’s most revered producers. Grown on the historic Le Haut-Lieu vineyard, first planted in 1928, this wine represents the pinnacle of the estate’s sweet wine production. Première Trie refers to the first and most selective picking pass, where only the ripest, noblest berries affected by botrytis or passerillage are harvested by hand. The result is a deeply layered, luxurious wine that balances intense sweetness with racy acidity and stony structure.

Le Haut-Lieu’s deep clay-limestone soils give this cuvée a broader, more generous texture than its siblings from Mont or Clos du Bourg. Fermentation is slow and natural, with the wine aged in large neutral oak demi-muids to preserve purity. No fining or filtration is used, allowing the wine to express its full aromatic and textural complexity.

In the glass, it shows golden colour with aromas of quince paste, honeycomb, apricot, orange blossom, chamomile and crushed stone. The palate is lusciously sweet yet precise, with layers of poached pear, candied citrus peel, almond cream and a chalky, mineral tension that cuts through the richness. The finish is endlessly long, with freshness and detail that carry for minutes.

Food pairing: stunning with foie gras, blue cheese, tarte Tatin, roasted stone fruit with mascarpone, or spiced tagines with apricot and almond. Also beautiful as a meditative sipper on its own.

Cellar potential: built to age for decades. Will develop complex notes of saffron, dried fruits, beeswax and lanolin over 30 to 50 years or more.