After tasting through a pretty full line up of Huet’s last night, including sec’s from 2009, demi-sec and moelleux’s from 2008, two moelleux from 1985, and a 2005 Cuvee Constance, the question that arises is, what do with the off dry wines? It’s the same problem I sometimes have with a german line up–how to you fit a sweeter Spatlese or Auslese into your drinking life? They are not sweet enough for dessert wines. And for my palate, they don’t go as well with most foods as the sec wines do. Most of those I drink with have no interest in off dry wines, so they just tend to sit in the cellar untouched.
Last night’s food was medalions of tenderloin (pork I think–poss. veal) in cream sauce with prunes–a dish designed to go with the off dry wines, but the sec wines clearly were better with the dish.
Personally, I tend to leave them on the shelf for others to buy. Love dry, love sweet, generally bumfuzzled by those in between. Would make exceptions for those with enough crackling acidity, but that’s something of a game of darts.
They are very nice with many Asian and Central American seafood preps that have a bit of heat and also work well with Prosciutto, some smoked nuts and dried figs in the afternoon.
Friends of mine got married in Sept and had a seated dinner for 30 or so after. Served some nice wines - lamy st aubin frionnes 05 with the lobster bisque, huet 08 le mont demi sec with the arugula salad with poached pears and manchego and then also with the oven roasted turbot with corn ravioli and roasted chicken of the woods mushrooms, and then 06 bachelet cotes de nuits village with the duck breast course. The Huet stole the show and everyone there loved it. It worked perfectly with both courses it was paired with - of course, the 08s have a bit better structure than the 09s I think. But I think these matches sound better than the pork dish.
And they age beautifully and of course lose of the sweetness.
What can I say, my crowd loves Huet. Hell we had a Huet-a-thon here a few years ago. The 1961 demi sec was amazing (among others).
The 2008 Le Mont Demi-sec, as well as the08 Le Haut-Lieu Moelleux, and the 85 clos du Bourg Moelleux all had a disulfide-like flaw that for me made them non-starters. three of us had the same opinion. The others (very good tasters) didn’t notice. I think this is a compound for which there must be a marked differential sensitivity.
Can you elaborate on the flaw you perceived? I grabbed some of the 85’s that made their way through Seattle before Christmas, hesitantly as I have had some bad luck with provenance with some local distributors and I just want to be prepared before I open them at a nice dinner.
Anthony–We had the 85 Le Mont Moelleux and the 85 Clos du Bourg Moelleux. The Le Mont tasted like a lanolin based shaving cream, sweet, moderate weight, not much in the way of fruit components.
The Clos du Bourg was richer and sweeter, but had a marshmallow/rubber tire/bad truffle character that I’ve described before in other threads. I don’t think this a matter of provenance. As I noted, it was also present in the 08 Le mont demisec, and a small amount in the 08 Le Haut-Lieu Moelleux. The previous thread concluded that this was likely a double bonded sulphur compound, the result of reduction that has gone beyond the point of no return–perhaps diethyl sulfide.
I don’t know if these wines were sourced locally from Seattle distributors, although I know a fair chunk of the wines came from Rare Wine Co.
If you are going to serve either of these two wines, I’d have a back-up plan, as neither was liked last night.
Ugh! Had an 85 Jarry Vouvray last September which is a much more pedestrian bottling and it just slayed. I figured despite my hesitance that these would be good considering the Huet pedigree. I think Cavatappi got these from the Huet library, so they may be good yet. I guess the proof will be when I taste them!
As an aside, your last name is quite a historical one when it comes to Washington wine. Are you related? If that is none of my business or something you don’t want to discuss on the board, feel free to ignore me.
Anthony–the last time were we related was about 1800, so yes but not really.
I don’t mean to give the impression the tasting was bad–The 09 Le Mont. Le Haut-Lieu, and clos du Bourg secs are wonderful. The 2008 clos du Bourg and Le Mont Moelleux Premiere, and the Cuvee Constance were also very impressive wines.
Generally not a problem with Loire Valley Chenin Blanc.
I think Huet demi-secs pairs wonderfully with lobster, lobster or crab bisque, etc.; last night we had a very young, very fresh 1995 Le Mont demi-sec with the cheese course.