TN: Chidaine and Huet

2018 François Chidaine Vin de France Sec Les Argiles - France, Vin de France (9/6/2020)
Light on the nose, nice, medium rich palate, good acidity, some decent umami, maybe a touch of sweetness coming through, has some weight and density, tasty though relatively uncomplex. A good rendition of this wine. (88 pts.)

2018 François Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Les Choisilles - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Montlouis-sur-Loire (9/6/2020)
Light nose, quite nice moderately rich fruit, shows more minerality and clearly drier than the Argiles, more elegant, very pretty, long mineral finish. Lovely wine. (91 pts.)

2016 Arnaud Lambert Saumur Brézé Clos David - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur (9/6/2020)
Hint of something on the nose, some old wool notes, good medium depth, excellent acidity, some nice minerality, which trails out into the finish. A more structured, high acid, mineral wine, but with enough depth of flavor to be well balanced. (90 pts.)

2019 Domaine Huet Vouvray Sec Le Haut-Lieu - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray (9/6/2020)
Very pale, almost like a few grapes strolled through the glass, not showing much on the nose, maybe a slight wooly note, nicely medium/moderate richness, hint of lime tartness from the excellent acidity, finishing with some light minerality. Elegant and quite lovely. (91 pts.)

2019 Domaine Huet Vouvray Sec Clos du Bourg - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray (9/6/2020)
Light, fresh nose, beautifully medium/moderately rich, very elegant but has some power, some of that same lime note as the Haut-Lieu has, then a long, mineral finish. This and the Haut-Lieu are less dense and rich, more elegant than in years past. I haven’t had the Huet lineup in a few years, wondering if the winemaking has changed in the interim. (93 pts.)

2018 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux Clos du Bourg - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray (9/6/2020)
Quite the impressive nose, signaling the rich palate to come; Lovely medium sweet, with some nice lightly tart acidity, hint of salinity, actually turns slightly mineral on the finish, lovely complexity, quince, apricot, orange peel. Very nice. (92 pts.)

2018 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux 1ère Trie Le Mont - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray (9/6/2020)
Noticeably sweeter than the regular Moelleux, rich and flavorful, though lacks the lightly tart note and complexity, a bit one-dimensionally sweet. (90 pts.)

Interesting. Thanks for the notes.

Great tasting - Appreciate the early look at all these! For my money, you’re hard pressed to find a better value than Huet in the white wine world.

Nice notes Alan!

I’m wondering if you have a preference over the years for a particular bottling. I’ve been eyeing the 2019 Haut-Lieu Sec (my favorite of theirs) and found your notes a little short (“light minerality”) of what I had been expecting based on the crtics.

The Clos du Bourg Sec note (“long mineral finish”) was what I was expecting for the Haut-Lieu Sec.

Barry, i have always found the HL to be more 1er Cru to the two grand crus, Mont and Bourg. The Mont has often been my own sweet spot, with a bit more tension and minerality, to the Bourg’s richer, fuller feel, but that might just be my own bias.

Just tried the Le Mont from 2019. Very pure, laser-like acid/mineral palate. Apple, lime, a little lanolin. slight late sweetness, but overall drier than any recent secs. Less richness and weight on the palate than usual, which I think is just the year (same winemaker–this was his last vintage), but still plenty of minerality and power. I actually prefer this style of Loire chenin over the richer, slightly off dry stuff.

Is there some consensus on what the recent release vintages are like in the Loire? Is 2019 supposed to be a cooler or leaner style for the whites? Thanks in advance if anyone knows or has heard.

I grabbed a 6 pack of the 2019 Haut-Lieu Sec at a good price. I haven’t tried it yet (but the Sec are usually my favs from Huet), but FWIW, Gilman and the WA (SR) we’re both super high (95 pts) on this wine in 2019.

Had a 2012 Huet sec last week (CdB) that was the worst premox wine I’ve opened in a long time.