2003 Domaine Huet Vouvray Clos du Bourg Moelleux (Museum Release)

Perched on the Première Côte, just above the town of Vouvray, Clos du Bourg is a monopole and generally regarded as the greatest of the three Huet single vineyards. It has been farmed by the domaine since 1953 and was purchased in 1963. Arguably the region’s greatest vineyard, Clos du Bourg makes some of Europe's most powerful, thrilling and long-lived white wines. With only one metre of topsoil over solid limestone, the vines immediately tap into the mineral resources underfoot. The warmth of the site, combined with the mineral complexion of the soils, results in rich, long-lived wines that seem to effortlessly combine intense, charged minerality with generous texture and concentration.
Despite the warm and dry growing season, 2003 was a stellar year for Huet’s sweeter styles, and the Clos du Bourg Moelleux is beautiful today. While we cannot find a review for this label, to give you some idea of the quality on offer from this vintage, The Wine Advocate’s Stephan Reinhardt rated the 2003 Moelleux 1er Trie from the same vineyard 98+ points (while the Cuvée Constance received a perfect 100-point score). Twenty years of age and going strong, the palate is mind-blowing and decadent, with a kaleidoscopic array of honey, brioche, orange zest, and spicy/mineral notes washing across the palate. With such purity, spicy intensity and perfumed length, it is a pure joy to drink and—take it from us—the bottle disappears almost as quickly as it is opened. The balance and complexity here are geared towards simple, delicious desserts—it would be hard to beat a great apple pie or the best cannelés bordelais you can lay your hands on.