Introduction

Here is a chance from our marital cellars to compare two highly-regarded and rare dessert wines--the Botrytis-affected Constance from what are probably the three most prized vineyards in the whole region. Making sparkling wine, dry wines, semi-dry wines, sweet ('molleux') wines, and more intensely selected 'premier trie moelleux' wines in the very best vintages, the Le Haut Lieu, Le Mont, and le Clos de Bourg vineyards, there are three expressively different terroirs here.

The 1997 vintage was an overripe and Botrytis-affected vintage, with the 2015 vintage grown under more balanced conditions. Again, this is a cuvée ad lib from the best fruit that Huet grows.

The 1997 was made by Gaston Huet and the 2005 was made under the ownership of Anthony Hwang, also owner of Kiralyudvar in Tokaj.

Closing

2015: Very bright refractive gold; 'squared-up' tears, sheety-viscous. Evidence of the melonic-punchy Clos de Bourg is in the nose's shimmery front of ginger and acacia flower, with a tissue of candied notes wrapped around it. Glissome liquid honey slides, again, with that shimmering, glistening slide into a bright but mellow finish. 94-96/100; Very long. To drink now is perhaps infanticide, but the pleasure of a young, great dessert wine is there, so go ahead if your heels are well, and on through its life; without excessvie Botrytis complications, that could be 20-25 years ahead.