Christies Vouvray Masterclass - Domaine Huet (1924-1995)

TN: Christies Vouvray Masterclass with Noel Pinguet of Domaine Huet (1924-1995) – 6 May 2004

Do you have a sweet tooth? Are you the sort of person who would rather order a main course and then a dessert, rather than a starter and a main course? The ideal scenario, I am sure you will agree, is to have all three courses (or more, depending on the meal). Yes, I know, it’s more calories, but you know what, who cares? If you are worried about putting on more weight, why not burn extra calories by, for example, a little more exercise. Who can resist a properly flamed crème brulee, fine cheesecake or even a chocolate based surprise? I should disclose the fact that I do enjoy a good dessert with a fine dinner. Not every meal, by any means, but when the occasion demands it, bring out the sweet trolley. Don’t even get me started on cheeses; I’ll save that discussion for another day.

Are foods getting sweeter to pander to ever increasing demands for sweeter products? I am not sure. I remember reading about experiments in infants that said they preferred sweeter tastes to drier tastes. This can then manifest itself in later life, depending on their upbringing. Then there are fizzy drinks, desserts and even the types of sweeteners. I remember the health craze that swept through the UK about eighteen months ago on Manuka Honey. This honey, made only in New Zealand from the pollen of the Manuka Bush, was supposed to have organic properties that were positive for certain ailments, like skin and digestive conditions. Pots of honey were normally about £2-£3 per tub, and the same sized tubs of differing sources of Manuka Honey were being sold for £8-£14 per tub!

I do enjoy dessert wines, like Port, Sauternes and other late-harvest styles. One of my favourites is the dessert wines of the Loire, in particular Vouvray. If I get the chance to try one or more Vouvray’s, I’ll take it. Even better if I am with friends whom I can share the experience with. So when I was invited to a sensational tasting of Huet wines going back eighty years as a guest of the notorious London offliner Nigel Williams, I could not refuse. Joining us would be the third of the London offline vino musketeers, namely Charles Morgan. I managed to bump into several other wine friends and this tasting was proving to be a big draw. Coincidentally, I had drunk two 2002 Huet Vouvray’s at the home of Manuel Camblor in New York about two weeks earlier, as he had kindly opened them knowing that I like Vouvray.

Christies Auction House was holding this pre-auction Masterclass in Central London, and it was hosted by Anthony Hanson MW and David Elswood. Noel Pinguet, the son-in-law of the legendary Gaston Huet, was also in attendance. All of the wines were introduced by M. Pinguet and Mr Hanson very ably translated from French to English as he spoke. The wines were served one by one at the correct temperature. Straight from a huge ice bucket, they started off around 5C and with a few minutes in the glass warmed to 10C, which is supposed to be the ideal temperature.

I also made some brief notes about relevant points that Noel Pinguet made throughout the evening, as follows:

- After 4-5 years after bottling, Chenin Blanc tends to close down. Huet whites are usually bottled around the April following the vintage;

- He defines Moelleux as 30 grams of residual sugar per litre;

- The average yields of the Domaine Huet in the last 50 years have been around 30-35 hl/ha;

- Noel says that he divides the wines into pre and post 1989. He says that the best vintages in the last 14 years have been 1989, 1990, 1997 and 200;

- Noel praised the selection of English cheeses when mentioning that these wines can be drunk with cheese.

1) 1995 Domaine Huet – Vouvray – Le Haut Lieu Sec (Loire, France)

2) 1970 Domaine Huet – Vouvray – Le Clos du Bourg Moelleux (Loire, France)

3) 1961 Domaine Huet – Vouvray – Le Clos du Bourg Moelleux 1ere Trie (Loire, France)

4) 1935 Domaine Huet – Vouvray<