Cuvée Constance 2018 500ml

A noble sweet Chenin Blanc that Domaine Huet has bottled since 1989 only in those vintages where botrytis sufficiently concentrated the harvested fruit. 2018 was warm and sunny, favourable to noble rot. The high residual sugar, at 11.5 % vol., is balanced by an acidity that keeps the wine upright.

Vouvray on the Loire, where limestone and clay give Chenin Blanc its mineral backbone. The estate's three vineyards lie on the Première Côte: Le Haut-Lieu, purchased in 1928 by Victor Huet, Le Mont directly above the historic tuffeau cellars, and Clos du Bourg with the poorest, stoniest soils. Gaston Huet introduced biodynamics in the late 1980s; since 1993 the entire estate has been Demeter-certified.

Chenin Blanc, hand-harvested with a strict selection of botrytis-affected berries. Maturation takes place in neutral vessels in the deep rock-cut cellars beneath the estate, where the temperature stays constant and the wine is given time. The 500ml bottle is the classic format for this style of wine.

Candied apricot, honey and quince, along with orange peel and acacia blossom. On the palate, peach jam, mango and beeswax, the finish remains spicy, long and finely mineral.

Roquefort and other robust blue cheeses, whose salt balances the sweetness. Also foie gras, caramelised tarte Tatin and desserts with peach or apricot.

Since 2020, Benjamin Joliveau, a Vouvray native, has been responsible for the estate's wines. The Cuvée Constance is regularly regarded as one of the world's great noble sweet wines and gains further depth over decades in the cellar.