Clos du Bourg Moelleux 1ère Trie 2020

A lusciously sweet Chenin Blanc of opulent ripeness and precision at once. Pale golden yellow in the glass with copper reflections; on the nose, fully ripe mirabelles, apricots and peaches, candied and dried fruit, apple peel and tobacco, reduced pineapple chutney, smoke and stone, plus kumquats and a hint of tarte Tatin. 93 grams of residual sugar per litre stand against a deep minerality. The wine is still evolving and already elegant.

The Clos du Bourg lies above the church of Vouvray: six hectares enclosed behind an old stone wall, hence the name Clos. The plot was already mentioned in the 7th century and ranks among the oldest grand cru parcels in France. The flat soil consists of clay with flint and chalk inclusions over Turonian tuffeau limestone, which the vines' roots reach after just one metre.

Pure Chenin Blanc. The 2020 vintage was strongly marked by sun and warmth; harvesting took place between 7 September, the earliest date in the estate's history, and 25 September. The grapes were meticulously sorted, pressed and spontaneously fermented, with malolactic fermentation occurring in only a few barrels. The wine was aged in used demi-muids. Cellar master Benjamin Joliveau, a native of Vouvray, has been responsible for the wines since 2020.

Piquant in its aromas of citrus peel, saline in its stony notes, with a touch of botrytis and juicy, layered fruit of peach, quince, papaya, yellow plum, orange and melon. The sweetness carries the wine without ever masking its minerality.

Lobster and papaya salad with chilli sauce, seared foie gras with cotignac d'Orléans and fresh goat's curd, or for dessert, roasted pineapple with tamarind, ginger, chilli and coconut ice cream.

Domaine Huet introduced biodynamic farming in the late 1980s and has been Demeter-certified since 1993. The Moelleux 1ère Trie is only made in exceptional years; whether botrytis develops is decided by the weather, not the winemaker. The cellars are deep rock-cut galleries with a constant temperature.