2003 Domaine Huet Vouvray Le Haut Lieu Moelleux (Museum Release)

“The residual sugar is 90 g/l, says Jean-Bernard Berthomé. The aromatics, despite the vintage’s reputation as a heatwave year, are spot on. This is classic evolving première tri Vouvray, a melange of limestone minerals drizzled with a a sweet honey caramel, intertwined with a wonderful citrus freshness and lift. It seems delightfully promising. The palate, I am happy to report, follows on from this first impression quite beautifully, the fruit and minerals resting on a bed of sweet caramel, and although this is not a vintage rich in botrytis I do detect a little note here too. The wine as a whole maintains a very fine balance too throughout. A very impressive, broad, imposing wine with a long and cleanly balanced finish. Delicious.” 18.5/20 points, Chris Kissack, Wine Doctor (January 2016)

Le Haut-Lieu was the estate’s first vineyard, purchased in 1928. Situated on the Première Côte, it’s a 9-hectare plot on deep brown chalky clay (known as aubuis). Here the yellow limestone (tuffeau) bedrock lies up to four metres down, making for a richer soil that produces round, supple wines that can drink very well young. It generally produces the earliest maturing of the three cuvées and is usually ready to drink first, but, like Clos du Bourg and Le Mont, the wines can be extremely long-lived. We have enjoyed bottles from the ‘40s that are still drinking very well!