Every so often you taste a wine that shocks you because it expands your own vocabulary for wine. Vouvray is made from the Chenin Blanc or Pineau de Loire grape variety in the Loire Valley. I must have had some sort of bias against Chenin Blanc buried in my mind because of uninspiring versions in the past. However this bottle of wine changed the way I will forever look at the possibilities of Chenin Blanc. The Loire produces wines that can be among the best in the world. One of my favorite stories in Kermit Lynch's "Adventures on the Wine Route" is the part about Rene Loyau and Vouvray. It is a must read!
Vouvray comes in a wide variety of styles. There are two sparkling versions called Vouvray Mousseux and a finer beaded version called Vouvray Petillant. Both can be delicious. Chenin Blanc has a natural tendency to produce bubbles which is fixed by adding a little sulfur. The still wines come dry (sec) off dry (demi sec) or in a botrytized version called Moelleux. This wide range of styles is similar to the wines of Alsace. Another similarity is that both can be stunning and versatile accompaniments to food.
Gaston Huet ran the domaine from 1949 until his death in 2002. Since 1990 all of the vineyards have been managed by biodynamic principals. Domaine Huet basically has three vineyard site: Le Haut Lieu, Le Mont and Clos de Bourg. Each is planted with a mix of younger and older vines. WineDoctor.com says," 15% between 1 and 10 years, 35% between 10 and 30 years and 50% between 30 and 50 years."
The 2002 Le Mont Sec is a stunning. tons of minerality. many hard to pin citrus fruits but each so subtle. a tiny bit of tangerine, sweet lime, orange zest. the flavors unfold for a long time after each drink. got better and better. Next time I might even decant for 30 minutes. It absolutely killed with the spicy Thai beef I was eating.
As an aside if anyone has any information about Rene Loyau I would love to read/hear it. Google search didn't turn up much.
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