Lot 513
513
Offered duty paid, but available in bond A MAGNIFICENT RANGE OF RARE AND HISTORIC VOUVRAY, DIRECTLY FROM DOMAINE GASTON HUET Domaine HUET is a 35 ha. (85 acres) estate in Vouvray, which for decades has been supreme for the quality, complexity and sheer beauty of its wines. Its owner, Gaston Huet, was a legend in his lifetime. He was mayor of Vouvray for 40 years, and died in 2002, aged 92. His son-in-law Noël Pinguet led the Domaine into bio-dynamics in 1987 (by 1991 it was 100. He has been the Domaine's guiding light since the 1976 vintage. Top Vouvray is one of the world's greatest wines, yet it is appreciated by, and known to, only a few. It comes from just one grape variety, the Chenin Blanc. This gives wines which vary on the sweet-dry scale, depending on the weather each year. This diversity of sweetness and styles - Vouvray also exists in sparkling form - contribute to its being little understood, and often under-valued. It was an enormous thrill for David Elswood and myself to be invited to take part in the selection of a limited range of vintages from the Huet family's private reserves. Many of these bottlings or vintages have never been offered at auction before. In this pristine condition, never having moved from their original cellars, they represent an unparalleled opportunity for wine connoisseurs and collectors. A rigorous selection was made, and of course not everything we assessed is being offered in this sale. One or two vintages had never been tasted by Noël Pinguet, even after 25 years of running the Domaine! Jacques Puisais joined us for the tasting. He became Director of the Tours wine research laboratory in 1959, and has lived in Chinon ever since. He is a French, national wine treasure, and one of the most knowledgeable Loire wine lovers alive. What distinguishes great Vouvray from other dessert wines, and other wines with varying levels of residual sugar? For Jacques Puisais, there is a triangle of elements always present, but which vary in their strength: Vif Ferme/Tendre Lively Firm Gentle). And the length of flavour. "Today, people think too much about the body of a wine. A wine without length of flavour is like a bird without a tail - he will not fly far. A product without a tail will leave no image in your brain". There is no new oak ageing here, yet remarkable golden-amber colours are achieved. This is a precious, beautiful attribute. Another, great particularity of Vouvray is its freshness, and this is retained by early bottling. At Domaine Huet, the rule is for bottling to take place in March or April following the harvest. At harvest time, they usually go through the vineyards three times, not more. Selection is made on the vines, not on a sorting table in the vat-house. This is the key spot for Noël Pinguet during the vintage, where he directs his bunches or berries to different pneumatic presses, playing on the presses like an organist. In the greatest vintages, the finest wine comes from the first picking, known as the 1ère trie. Domaine Huet has this extraordinary reserve of old bottles because Noël's father-in-law Gaston Huet always held back quantities of the greatest vintages for ageing. This took place in wonderful, hollowed-out galleries, deep in the limestone tufa rock, overlooking the Loire. There is constant temperature, and high humidity. Levels in all cases are superb, and all corks have either been replaced for this auction, or were changed during the last 10 years. What are the differences in character between the three vineyards ? Le Haut Lieu is the original, family holding, and its wine encapsulates the minerality, and also the balance, intensity and freshness of the district. Clos du Bourg is one of Vouvray's premier vineyards for long aging. "Le Clos du Bourg is a rugby-man, a powerful presence. Le Mont is more feminine - a dancer, a Princess." These distinctions surfaced as we tasted the 1959s, side by side. "These wines are not ultra-rich dessert wines, with massive sweetness. You feel like taking a second glass, they are elegant. They are full of the clear light of Touraine." The exception vintage is 1990, with its great levels of residual sugars. At what age do they mature? Tasting 5 wines from the 1930s - all are in the sale - Noël remarked : "These wines have secondary, not tertiary, aromas - they are still young! The vintages of the 1930s are now mature, yet also still youthful, like a sprightly septuagenarian." Serving temperature : 10 Celsius is the recommendation. Anthony Hanson MW
Vouvray Le Haut Lieu, Moelleux--Vintage 1921 Loire. Domaine-bottled: Gaston Huet Tasting note: Olive-golden, with tawny rim, and some floaters clouding its limpidity. The nose initially evokes a mushroom-picking expedition through damp undergrowth, then clears to remind me of roasted plums, with mouthwatering freshness. The palate is astonishingly concentrated and powerful, with lovely crisp finish and a fantastic, long aftertaste. Beautiful acidity, outstanding wine, this is perfection. How does it compare wih Yquem 1921? "It is more drinkable than Yquem '21", says David Elswood, "with greater freshness."AH

1 magnum per lot
Details
Shipping of the lots will take place two to three weeks after the sale and they will be ready for collection or delivery approximately one week later.

Following shipment all lots will be lying in Middlesex after the sale

Offered duty-paid, but available in bond
Vouvray Le Haut Lieu, Moelleux--Vintage 1921
Loire. Domaine-bottled: Gaston Huet
Tasting note: Olive-golden, with tawny rim, and some floaters clouding its limpidity. The nose initially evokes a mushroom-picking expedition through damp undergrowth, then clears to remind me of roasted plums, with mouthwatering freshness. The palate is astonishingly concentrated and powerful, with lovely crisp finish and a fantastic, long aftertaste. Beautiful acidity, outstanding wine, this is perfection. How does it compare wih Yquem 1921? "It is more drinkable than Yquem '21", says David Elswood, "with greater freshness."AH
1 magnum per lot
Special notice
Offered duty paid, but available in bond

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