Le Mont demi-sec 2022

The Le Mont vineyard is located above the tufa caves and to the east of the Huet estate on the first plateau of Vouvray, the so-called Première Côte, and it faces south. The vineyard was already mentioned in the 15th century, and it has been highly appreciated since then. Like the other vineyards, Le Mont, with its nine hectares, is the sole property of the Huet estate and was acquired by Gaston Huet in 1957 as the last of the three vineyards. It has a topsoil several metres deep with a pebbly flint, some of it the size of a fist, which is there Perron and deep green clay. The base is the usual Turonian tuff limestone.

The harvest began in 2022 on 8 September and ended six weeks later (the harvest workers, 24 of them this year, have never harvested for so long). As the heatwaves and drought led to very heterogeneously ripening grape material, all varieties of Chenin Blanc could be produced, from the base wine for pétillants to 1er Trie. As usual, the grapes were meticulously sorted, pressed and spontaneously fermented during the many harvest rounds. Malolactic fermentation only took place in exceptional cases and in individual barrels. The wine was matured in used demi-muids. Demi-Sec 2022 at Huet means between 21 grams of residual sweetness.

intense straw yellow

The 2022 Le Mont Demi-Sec is, unsurprisingly, the darkest and stoniest Chenin Blanc of the three sites. It is a wine that already presents a lot of substance on the nose, but also always shows bright, floating aspects that express themselves in elegant fruit and florality. It also has a tobacco, slightly earthy and smoky flavour,

Even if the 2022 Le Mont Demi-Sec may have 21 grams of residual sugar, you hardly notice it. Here too, it is the dark, spicy, tobacco and stony flavours that define the wine. The sweetness merely brings a playful aspect to the wine. Le Mont. As is typical of the situation, it always takes the longest to develop. In return, it is usually present for decades. It is fascinating to see the depth and minerality of the Le Mont Demi-Sec and how much fun it is because, despite its substance and complexity, it is like meeting a friend you haven't seen for a while.