Le Haut-Lieu demi-sec 2017

The Le Haut-Lieu demi-sec 2017 is an off-dry Chenin Blanc from Domaine Huet in Vouvray on the Loire, grown on the site where the estate began in 1928. Medium straw yellow in the glass, open, bright and fragrant on the nose: nashi pear, yellow apple flesh, acacia and orange blossom, with a touch of honey. Nothing heavy or opulent here.

Le Haut-Lieu covers nine hectares on the Première Côte and was the estate's founding vineyard. Deep, chalky clay makes the wines from this site approachable; limestone and clay provide the mineral foundation.

Pure Chenin Blanc, called the grape of the moonlight in Vouvray. Whether a site is bottled as Sec, Demi-Sec or Moelleux is decided by the vintage, not the winemaker. Ageing takes place in the estate's deep rock-cut cellars: constant temperature, neutral vessels, time. Cellar master Benjamin Joliveau, a Vouvray native, has overseen the wines since 2020.

The roughly 18 grams of sweetness are excellently buffered by the acidity. Juicy and creamy, yet elegant, with finely etched acidity and fresh minerality that doesn't stand out as a single component but melts into the overall composition. Despite its 13.5% ABV, the wine feels almost weightless. It already drinks beautifully today and holds great aging potential.

Potato pancakes with trout caviar and crème fraîche, wild partridge terrine with cardamom and ginger, or, to echo the residual sweetness, apricot strudel.

Gaston Huet introduced biodynamics as early as the late 1980s; the entire estate has been Demeter-certified since 1993.