Le Haut Lieu Moelleux 1ère Trie 2018

Wine description for Le Haut Lieu Moelleux 1ère Trie 2018 by Huet

Colour & appearance

Sparkling, deep golden yellow with fine green reflections – a Vouvray that reveals its noble sweet nature right in the glass.

Nose

Impressively open: apple and apple purée, quince and quince jelly, alongside white peach purée and ripe pear. Subtly joining in are aniseed and ginger, a touch of acacia blossom, chamomile and honeysuckle. Delicate green notes of nettle and savoury provide tension.

Palate

Fine and subtle. The elegant sweetness meets plenty of citrus and fresh apple, while a finely spiced touch further stimulates the palate. The wine seems to float across the tongue – carefree, light-footed, with that natural acidity which makes Chenin Blanc from Vouvray so distinctive.

Finish

Long and precise, carried by the balance of residual sugar and acidity. Still at the very beginning of its development – those opening it now should decant it and serve it not too cold in a larger glass.

Terroir & origin

Le Haut-Lieu was Domaine Huet’s founding vineyard in 1928 – this is where it all began. The site on the Première Côte in Vouvray rests on deep, calcareous clay, which lends the wines accessibility and fruit. The entire estate has been Demeter-certified since 1993; Gaston Huet introduced biodynamics as early as the late 1980s – long before the great names of Burgundy.

Grape variety & vinification

Chenin Blanc – here known as the grape of moonlight. The 1ère Trie is produced only in exceptional years when the weather permits botrytis; the winemaker does not decide, nature sets the pace. Cellar master Benjamin Joliveau, a native of Vouvray, has been responsible for the wines since 2020. The estate’s deep rock cellars serve as the cellar – constant temperature, neutral vessels, time.

Food recommendations

Yellow lentils with dates, honey and jalapeño chillies – the sweetness of the wine mirrors the dates, while the acidity tames the heat. Or classically: wild strawberries with peach and Vouvray mint jelly. For something savoury: wild spinach on baguette with béchamel and ham.

Special features

The 1ère Trie is the estate’s rarest bottling – produced only in years with noble rot, and only from the finest grapes. 2018 is such a vintage. What sustains this wine is not technique but patience: it will be better in ten years’ time than it is today, and even better still in thirty.