2022 Domaine Huet Vouvray Le Mont Moelleux Première Trie, Loire

Despite its 125g/L of residual sugar, the 2022 Le Mont Premiere Trie Moelleux is balanced, fine and long. Yes, its sweetness fills the mouth and makes it blossom, but there's no suggestion of unctuousness or weight. It has a tranquility as if it has just finished a weekend on a retreat, calmly coating the palate with its curves. In 2022, its tender acidity makes for a gentle conclusion with a delicate floral fragrance. Nevertheless, the refined, chalky tension pulls this wine through, bringing line and length.

95 points Rebecca Gibb MW vinous.com

Domaine Huet Vouvray Le Haut-Lieu Moelleux Première Trie is a profoundly expressive sweet Chenin Blanc from one of the Loire Valley’s most iconic producers. Crafted only in vintages when conditions allow for optimal botrytis or late harvest concentration, Première Trie refers to the first and most selective picking pass, where only the most intensely ripe and perfectly shrivelled berries are hand-harvested. The result is a wine of extraordinary richness and precision, marrying opulence with laser-like acidity.

The Le Haut-Lieu vineyard, first planted in 1928, lies on deep brown clay over limestone, giving this cuvée its signature generosity and roundness. Fermented slowly with indigenous yeasts in large old oak barrels, the wine is aged on lees with minimal intervention. There is no fining or filtration, allowing for maximum textural expression and purity of fruit.

In the glass, it opens with golden hues and aromas of apricot, candied citrus, acacia honey, quince paste, saffron and crushed chalk. The palate is unctuous but never heavy, with layers of poached pear, orange marmalade, almond cream and wildflower honey. A vibrant mineral backbone and piercing acidity cut through the sweetness, giving the wine exceptional balance and length. It finishes with a flourish of spice and stony lift.

Food pairing: excellent with foie gras, Roquefort, tarte Tatin, Persian saffron chicken or Moroccan lamb with apricots and almonds. Also remarkable on its own as a meditative dessert wine.

Cellar potential: built for decades. Will evolve over 30 to 50 years, gaining savoury depth, caramelised notes, and an ethereal honeyed complexity.