Domaine Huet Le Mont Vouvray Moelleux Première Trie

Pungent candied citrus rind, smoky black tea, iris, quince preserves, and a distinctly alkaline note inform the strikingly intense nose of the Huet 2009 Vouvray Moelleux Le Mont 1er Trie. This elixir of close to 100 grams residual sweetness makes the corresponding “regular” moelleux taste like demi-sec alongside. It boasts an extraordinary mineral presence for a wine so rich, viscous, and honeyed, with saline, smoky and alkaline elements all offering counterpoint, and tightly-wound (or should that be “fast flowing”?) springs of fresh citrus convey energy and refreshment also uncommon in a wine of this ripeness. Here too is the sense of levity that in the best instances accrues to wine from air-dried, subtly desiccated fruit. Expect this seamless beauty to have a glorious future of three or more decades.

A ripe, juicy style, with lots of green almond, fig and pear notes backed by more quince and melon on the rounded, opulent finish. Almost sticky in feel, but the underlying acidity keeps it all fresh and pure. The finishes drives on, with added length as this airs in the glass. Drink now through 2025.