Domaine Huet

“The biodynamic Huet estate comprises three key terroirs with clearly identifiable personalities … it is justly regarded as the leading property in the Vouvray region.” Clive Coates MW, The Great Wines of France

“No matter what the vintage or the wine style (including sparkling), the quality [chez Domaine Huet] is always extraordinary and clearly reflects the excellence of their terroirs. The chiseled, contoured mouthfeel and precise minerality are unique in the Loire.” La Revue du Vin de France

Widely considered to be the single greatest Vouvray domaine and one of the foremost white wine producers in the world today, Domaine Huet should require little introduction. We are now very fortunate to have both Huet, the great, established benchmark of Vouvray, and François Chidaine, the ‘new’ star, in our stable. These are two of the finest producers of Chenin Blanc the world has seen.

Domaine Huet was founded in 1928 by Victor Huet, however it was his son, Gaston, who was to make this Estate one of the greatest France had ever known. Gaston worked with his father until 1937, after which he took full control. Over the next five decades, Gaston drove the Huet name to greater and greater heights. He inherited the Haut-Lieu vineyard and went on to purchase Clos du Bourg in 1953 and the Le Mont site in 1957. These three great terroirs were the foundations on which Domaine Huet’s reputation was forged. In 1971, Noël Pinguet, Gaston’s son-in-law, joined the Estate and another era began. Together, Gaston and Noël continued the progress of the estate. It was Pinguet who converted the vineyards to biodynamics in the late 80s, and put greater emphasis on the purity and precision of the wines. Jean-Bernard Berthomé, who at the time was chef du culture of Domaine Huet and is the Estate’s current winemaker, was the driving force behind the Huet’s advancement in biodynamic farming.

When Gaston Huet passed in 2002, Pinguet sought a financial partner and in 2003, Anthony Hwang, a New York based businessman, invested in the Estate. The Hwang family continued to work with Noël Pinguet for a decade until the latter’s retirement in 2012. Today the vineyards and cellars of the Estate are managed by Jean-Bernard Berthomé, who has played an integral role at Domaine Huet since 1979. Assisting Berthomé is Benjamin Joliveau, who has worked at the estate since 2008 and was hand picked by Noël Pinguet. Sarah Hwang heads up the business side of things in her role as President. It is really an exceptional team as anyone in the region will tell you. It seems clear that we have now entered yet another exciting era in the history of Domaine Huet. The Hwang family has already proven that they are committed to the continued, positive evolution of the Estate and have spared no expense to this end. As Francois Chidaine recently told us, the Huet legacy is “...in very good hands”.