It’s been a weather hot mess here in So Cal this week. Damn Santa Ana winds, when they get cranked up here, it gets hot, dry as the dessert and just tough on the soul. On Wednesday, when a handful of us did our monthly wine book club, it was 88 degrees at 9PM, with the wind blowing and the humidity in single digits. Today, not much better. This called for chenin blanc. On Wednesday, it was courtesy of fellow board member, Sean Kennedy, as we did book club at Playground here in the OC. The Huet showed well and served blind, it lived up the last showing when I called it the best Huet Sec for the 2011 vintage–really good. I opened the Chidaine last night and have more than 1/2 bottle left which I will chill like a mutha and continue to enjoy this evening with some hockey and something light to eat. Last night, my wife and I paired the Chidaine with some spinach and arugula from the garden, along with kumquat and a light raspberry dressing with grilled salmon. Was a great pairing, letting the Chidaine really complement the bitter greens and lightly seasoned fish. I just love chenin and I didn’t buy much from the 2012 vintage and I believe that I’ll put some red wine budget aside and go source some more 08s and 10s of these wines as these were kick ass vintages for both domaines. Thanks for reading.
2010 François Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Les Tuffeaux- France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Montlouis-sur-Loire (5/2/2014#
Frigging OC and LA have been stuck in this heat for 4 days so chenin blanc was the key choice for us to find some relief. I got this good and cold, both y/day and today, to really enjoy the wine and experience it across the glass temp spectrum. This does have the texture of demi, it’s a little heavier than say the Huet Haut-Lieu we had earlier this week. This Tuffeaux is really singing with flavors–pineapple, nectarine, yellow apple and lime, sitting in a honeyed texture. Even with my demi reference, the acidity really carries this wine through the finish with yellow apple skin and lime peel. How wines like Chidaine and Huet stay off the broader radar just puzzles me, as like the Haut Lieu earlier this week, to drink these gems with a tariff less than $30 each is just really a gift. Drink window here? Honestly, I don’t drink much older wines, let alone chenin old yet I know these can age for a long time. My thought is drink this wine now and probably very well for the next 5-10 years as there is plenty of stuffing here of all kinds. Terrific again.
2011 Domaine Huet Vouvray Sec Le Haut-Lieu- France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray #5/1/2014)
Poured blind, 3 hours of air and served at the correct temperature. Boy, this showed so well. Lots of lemon peel-like aromas and flavors along with lime skin. Then the chenin comes into play, with green apple, peach stone fruit, honey edges and a lean, racy finish. This bottle helped me recall how much I enjoy this cuvee and in 2011, I still believe the Lieu is the best of the Secs. Drinking great, will live a long time.
I’m interested in finding a point of reference when Tegan Passalacqua (a mega Chenin lover) releases his Sandlands Chenin, sourced from granitic soils in Amador (you were thinking I was just interested because it was French?
I’d be interested to try this, Mike. If he has true chenin from Loire in his sights, if this is his aspiration, I’d be keen to see what he comes up with.
Jason, occasionally some 2007 Huet Sec hits Wine Bid, it’s where I got mine, although I drank most of it since I bought it. Glad it did well for you, too.
2011 Domaine Huet Vouvray Sec Le Haut-Lieu- France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray (5/1/2014) Book Club (Playground - Santa Ana, CA): Blind. Guessed Sancerre. I need to taste more Chenin, this is delicious. Difficult to get a color read here in the restaurant but looks like a green fresh straw color. Perfume and tart fruit rind aromas. Lemon rind on full force with a splash of Granny Smith green apple. The rind note carries through the finish which is very long. Excellent acid and mineral balance. Load up in this one.
I’ve now consumed a bottle of each of the '12 Huet Secs. I agree that Le Mont is the best of the three (followed by CdB then LHL), but it too has a bitter finish. I don’t taste what John Gilman tastes in these wines and find them disappointing. I didn’t like the '11s enough to buy any, but at this point they seem better than the '12s. I hope this is a blip, but we’ll have to wait until vintage '14 or '15 to see if there is a trend. I hope not but fear otherwise.
I like the 2010 Les Tuffeaux a lot. I LOVE the 2010 Clos Habert. I think a gift is a great thing to call being able to buy Chidaine wines for what they cost. It almost doesn’t make sense, but I try not to question it.
hmph—you want I should ship you some of our 41 degree weather? (Although it IS going up to about 68 or 70 on Friday).
Huet Haut-Lieu Sec, agreed, always a winner. My notes from back in February…
"2011 Huet Le Haut Lieu Sec
Pretty classic for me, with bright herbs, yellow fruit and mix of lemon and apple to sniff and then fine snappy feel and structure dans la bouche. I don’t feel this will be one to age forever, but quite enjoyable for its crisp very slightly sweet lemon and light minerality."
Mark—do you think that’s the no-more-Noel effect? Just curious, have not had many of the post-Pinguet vintages.
I just checked out Monterey Whole Foods for the Huet or Chidaine and it was a no go. One of the nice things about Carmel is that French wine is scarce.
I’ll have to go hard core and hit the Carmel Plaza Cheese Shop. If that fails … Redwood City K&L. Good grief the lengths I go to.
I don’t know whether the problems are vintage related, style related (we’ve all read that the Hwangs favor making more Sec wines, irrespective of vintage conditions), something else, or a combination. After a string of very good Sec vintages, '11 and '12 stand out as not very good. And I don’t recall a vintage showing such bitterness across the Sec range as I’ve encountered in '12. Maybe others with greater knowledge/experience might chime in.
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