Please help me understand Huet

I’d recommend picking a vineyard, Le Mont or Clos du Bourg, buying the lineup, and see for yourself. I’m sure you can find 2017 or 2016 Sec, DS, and 1er Trie.

I normally don’t bother with the straight moelleuxs any more because 1er Trie tends to have more vibrant structure in terms of acids and phenols. As for the other important structural characteristic of the sweet ones, some years 1er trie has botrytis and some not.

Constance is meant to be a botrytis wine, so it has only been made in vintages where there has been deemed to be sufficient ripeness and acidity in botrytized grapes.

Although 1989 Constance is great, you can find the excellent 1995 or very young 2009 at decent pricing last time I checked.

A few of the hard core Huet lovers like me relish the low-to-no botrytis vintages. The 1er Tries from those vintages then get all of the best grapes/barrels — none are siphoned off for Constance.

At all levels the wines will last 50+ year. You would think the sweeter ones longer, but that’s not reality with Huet Vouvray. Old secs and particularly old DS are amazing. And we’ve had moelleux level wines going back to the 1919 le haut lieu moelleux, from before the Huet family bought the estate.

The search function here and on Wine Disorder will reveal a lot of tasting notes.

As for how many people to drink a bottle, it depends how thirsty you are.

In terms of comparison of say 1er trie and Constance with other regions, these wines are better balanced typically than many Sauternes. They blow away all but the best Sauternes IMO. Structurally they are more like Tokaji, but the best way to judge is to try them side by side with dessert wines from other regions.

According to Broadbent, the '89 Constance has 162 g/l rs

Tasting note: Made from botrytis affected grapes from Huet’s three vineyards, Le Haut Lieu, Le Mont and Le Clos de Bourg. Yield only 5 hl/ha, 309 g/l sugar in the juice, long fermentation in the barrel just achieving 10.9% alcohol, leaving 162 g/l residual sugar. A sort of Loire Beerenauslese. Even at scarcely two years old, it was rich, golden colour; pure honeyed botrytis nose and flavour. The most perfect Loire wine I have ever tasted. ****** (6 stars). Will be lovely now but will probably stay delicious for at least another 20 years. M.B.

I think I have some late 90s Delesvaux labeled SGN, don’t remember as being THAT sweet, interesting

Brad, ah yes, the Cuvee Zenith.

Very helpful thread. In learned a lot in the reading and in the posts themselves.

Anyone in NY for a Huet offline?

I have a mixed case 1 er trie from 2003 and 2005.
Should I start to open them in 2030 or?

I’m starting to open my mid 90s now and they’re starting to drink very well. no rush of course.

so starting in 2030 sounds about right.

I opened a 2003 Haut Lieu 1er Trie over Christmas and it was drinking well.