Clos du Bourg demi-sec 2017

Wine description for Clos du Bourg demi-sec 2017 by Huet

Colour & appearance

Medium straw yellow, clear and luminous, with youthful freshness in the glass.

Nose

An archetype of Vouvray Chenin: apple and apple must meet Virginia tobacco, smoke and crushed stone. Alongside notes of wax and wet wool – that smoky-mineral signature which makes this variety so distinctive on the Loire. In its youth, the wine displays a fleeting, flinty reduction that quickly dissipates with air.

Palate

Juicy pome fruit, almost quaffable in character. The residual sweetness is perceptible on the tip of the tongue, while the spice pushes towards the mid-palate. Beneath lies a blanket of silky tannins, interwoven with a brilliant, never intrusive yet ever-present acidity – precise and relaxed at once. The link between the accessible Le Haut-Lieu and the darker, more austere Le Mont.

Finish

Long and precise, with persistent minerality and a tension between sweetness and acidity that lingers long after.

Terroir & origin

The Clos du Bourg is regarded as one of the greatest vineyard sites in Vouvray – Gaston Huet himself considered it the finest in the appellation. The estate’s poorest, stoniest soils here combine the intense minerality of Le Mont with the generous texture of Le Haut-Lieu. Limestone and clay form the foundation; the site lies on the Première Côte, directly above the historic tuffeau cellars.

Grape variety & vinification

Chenin Blanc – the grape of moonlight, as it is known in Vouvray. Domaine Huet has been farming biodynamically since the late 1980s and has been Demeter-certified since 1993. Nature sets the pace: whether a vintage yields Sec, Demi-Sec or Moelleux is decided by the weather, not the winemaker. Maturation takes place in neutral vessels within the deep rock-hewn cellars, where constant temperatures allow the wine to age peacefully.

Food recommendations

The delicate sweetness and firm acidity make this Demi-Sec an ideal companion for sweetbreads with morels and asparagus – the creamy texture of the sweetbreads and the earthiness of the morels find their counterpart in the wine’s fruit and minerality. Also an excellent choice with skate wing with capers and pointed cabbage: the capers play off the acidity, the cabbage against the spice. And to finish: pear and almond tart, where the fruit of the wine mirrors that of the dessert.

Special characteristics

What distinguishes this wine is its balance: the sweetness is present but never dominates. The acidity supports without demanding attention. A joy to drink already – and yet a wine that will be better in ten years’ time than it is today, and better still in thirty. The art lies in allowing oneself this pleasure now whilst laying down enough bottles for the future.