2019 Domaine Huet Vouvray Sec Le Haut-Lieu
Community Tasting Note
kitkat4 wrote:
Wednesday, August 18, 2021 - Day 1: juicy, quince, citrus, very ripe. Some bitterness. Mineral and tarragon (slight licorice and lemon) linger long on the palate. Medium body and acidity. Later, with food, some grapefruit. Wine shows potential but not wowing me at this point.
Day 2: medium body and fruit. Does best with food due to the lingering herbal flavor on the palate.
I'm fairly new to Chenin Blanc, but this did not wow me. Do the herbal notes that persisted long after sipping persist as it ages? The fruit and acidity were only moderate, (say, compared to German Riesling) so if they fade over the years what is left? I've really enjoyed the Chenin Blanc I have had so far, but not sure what to make of my first new vintage (non-aged) Huet sec experience.
I have two bottles in the cellar so hope it improves with time. I detest anything that reminds me of black licorice. so the herbal tarragon notes are a turn-off.
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5 comments have been posted
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Comment posted by sleepyhaus:
8/19/2021 6:13:00 AM - I don't find anything herbal in this wine but perhaps I'm not as sensitive to it. I do, however, find the acidity a bit lacking. A bit of time might resolve the herbal note, as I've seen that in Riesling and Chablis/White Burg a fresh mint note can show in younger wines that I don't find after a bit of time. Unfortunately I'm not sure that time is going to do anything to add acid or energy. Based on most tasting notes here I'm in the minority in not loving this so I'm letting my remaining bottles rest and will check in on them in a couple of years.
Comment posted by oldwines:
8/19/2021 9:47:00 AM - I would second the idea that it needs time. While it seems pretty clear this is not one of the best Huet vintages for long aging from the user reviews thus far, it is still a baby, less than 2 years old and only fairly recently bottled and shipped (across the ocean?) I think it needs time to settle down from shipping shock (3 months at least) and probably 2-4 years to evolve sufficiently to come around. I would note that John Gilman at “The View from the Cellar” (who I generally regard as the most consistent wine writer out there who hasn’t gone nuts for over-ripe, high ABV wines) seems to feel quite differently about this wine and thinks it will age for 30 years, suggesting that the acidity is in fact quite high…?? If he is correct then that could be another reason to wait on this. I have yet to taste this myself as I have only 2 bottles and may have to seek out another to try…
Cheers!
“oldwines” aka Dave
www.dtpwineadvisors.com
Comment posted by kitkat4:
8/19/2021 7:53:00 PM - Thanks sleepyhaus and oldwines for sharing your thoughts! I too found this lacked energy and I am also not loving it. I have two more bottles and will just let them sleep.
I did not relate to John Gilman's review - meaning I did not find this to be full bodied or having bracing acidity. Interesting that Wine Spectator describes it as a "subtle, dry version" while the Parker reviewer says "most delicate". I am OK with subtle or delicate as long as all the parts fall together.
Hoping it improves over some time! And again, thanks for commenting.
Comment posted by kaush:
8/21/2021 8:47:00 PM - Thank you for your (somewhat contrary!) review. I very much love Loire Chenin, but dont typically buy Huet much. I bought into Huet's 2019 secs swayed by Gillman's commentary.
Tamlin Currin reviewed it for Jancis Robinson last February and found it, "closed as a tight fist". Possible that this was somewhat closed when you tasted, although low acidity is worrying.
Comment posted by kitkat4:
8/22/2021 7:54:00 AM - Thanks Kaush. I also wondered if had prematurely closed down.