Le Clos du Bourg Moelleux 1ère Trie 1997

A nobly sweet wine of dense concentration, whose sweetness is carried by the natural acidity of the Chenin Blanc. After nearly three decades of bottle age, it stands clear and composed, with fruit and acidity in balance.

The Clos du Bourg lies on the Première Côte in Vouvray on the Loire. Gaston Huet secured the site in 1963 and considered it the greatest vineyard in all of Vouvray: the estate's most barren, stoniest soils, limestone and clay, the source of these wines' mineral tension.

Pure Chenin Blanc. Whether botrytis develops is decided by the weather, not the winemaker; only in exceptional years does Domaine Huet bottle a Moelleux 1ère Trie from a single site, meaning the first picking pass of the most nobly botrytised berries. Gaston Huet converted the estate to biodynamic farming in the late 1980s, and it has been Demeter-certified since 1993. Ageing takes place in neutral vessels in the deep rock-cut cellars at constant temperature. 12.5% vol.

Deep golden yellow with amber highlights. On the nose, ripe quince, dried apricot and blossom honey, with a fine note of botrytis. The sweetness is dense, drawn long and taut by the acidity, underlaid by chalky minerality.

Blue cheeses such as Roquefort and Stilton, foie gras pâté, tarte Tatin or mature Comté. Also excellent on its own at the end of a meal.

Domaine Huet has worked in Vouvray since 1928 and vinifies its sites separately. A Moelleux 1ère Trie appears only when the vintage brings enough noble rot; the 1997 is such a bottling.