Domaine Huet – Where Wild Cyclamens Grow

Domaine Huet – Where Wild Cyclamens Grow.

We write the late 1920’s. We witness the hardworking pub owner Victor Huet exchanging thick café cigarette smoke for fresh countryside air. Due to exposure to noxious gases during his military service, Victor suffers long-term illness. In search for a new career and clean lungs, he ends up in a country house in Vouvray. The house comes along with vines and Victor becomes winegrower. It is 1928, Domaine Huet is born.

A Place of Honour

The house on the plateau above the mighty Loire River is chosen by Victor’s wife Anna-Constance. She falls in love with place due to the growing cyclamens. These wildflowers, also known as sowbread, do symbolize honour. Anna-Constance must have been blessed with farsightedness, because honour seems so be tied up to her son Gaston. Gaston Huet is praised for his service as a battalion leader in World War II. After the war he serves as the major of Vouvray for more than forty years. In the meantime, he builds up one of Vouvray’s most respected wineries. 

The Continuation of a Legacy

We make a jump to the 21^st century. In 2002, Gaston Huet sells Domaine Huet to the Chinese American business magnate Antony Whang. Although the winery is in perfect condition, there is no successor. Antony Whang’s daughter Sarah explains: ‘Gaston Huet was looking for a family to continue the legacy. My family was able to do so. We made a handshake agreement in 2002. Gaston passed away the same year, at the age of ninety-two.’ 

When Huet’s head winemaker and Gaston Huet’s son-in-law Noel Pinguet resigns in 2012, Sarah Whang is asked to run the domain. Born and raised in the US and after working in a cancer hospital, she gets infected by the wine virus. She gets herself a job at the New York wine auction house Acker Merrall & Condit. ‘There was a lot of money going around in that time. Every night we were opening once in a lifetime wines. And on the other hand I was drinking cheap nasty beers with my friends. There is no better way to train your palate.’

Perfectioning Jigsaw Puzzles

The take-over of Domaine Huet by Sarah Whangs was not an archetypical silver-spoon-in the-mouth-story. Sarah tells openly about it. ‘It is my personality to need to understand everything. I had to learn how to live in France and I had to learn how to run a company. Is was one big puzzle.’ To understand the size of the puzzle, we need to understand the main principals of Domaine Huet. 

The philosophy of the winery is based on three distinct terroirs: Le Haut-Lieu, Clos du Bourg and Le Mont. Haut-Lieu is the domain’s original vineyard, with brown coloured clay soils and a chalky topsoil. The soil of Le Mont is composed of limestone and clay with stones, flint and silex. The walled Clos du Bourg has shallow stony topsoils upon a hard limestone rock.

The white Chenin Blanc based Vouvray wines are made in wide range of styles. There is sparkling, sec, demi-sec and moelleux. Sarah Whang: ‘our production is based on the season. We do not make wine the market is demanding. We present the wines of the vintage. Our work as a winemaker is to be present the season for what it is. For us that is easier than making something that meant to be that way.’ 

The Gift of Nature 

The domain is biodynamically certified since 1993. ‘For me biodynamic viticulture means being okay with ‘I don’t know.’ Biodynamics is recognition of the existence of energies we cannot direct. We humans are not more powerful than nature. Any other thought would be egotistic.’ 

According to Sarah Whang, the starting point is perfect ripeness. ‘Ripe for me means juicy, acidic, scrumptious and delicious. We are looking for balance and drinkability. That is the soul, the core of the juice.’ Lab tests are made from about a month before the harvest. ‘We do it to get a sense of the rhythm of ripening and understand the character of the vintage.’ From about a week before the harvest the lab test stop. From there on, decisions are based on taste and intuition. ‘There is a special feeling that comes over you when you taste a grape that is ready.’

Subservient Winemaking

Benjamin Joliveau oversees winemaking, although Sarah Whang has an issue with that word. ‘It focuses too much on what is happening in the winery. Our whole team spends the entire year outside. Our wines are made in the vineyards.’ Even the sorting table is located in the vineyard. ‘It gives us the opportunity for more precision. On the table you get the visual. It helps decision making at the press.’

At the press, Sarah looks for purity. ‘We adjust the pressing to it. Thicker skins, thinner skins, lots of juice, less juice, ripe stems, unripe stems: it is an ongoing puzzle.’  All parcels are vinified separately. ‘We do not separate juice because in our opinion it is all one soul.’  

Fermentations start naturally in barrels with an average age of 35 to 50 years. During fermentations, Sarah and Benjamin taste frequently. ‘But we try not to go in too often. A pregnant woman who is seeing the doctor every day, might be paranoid.’ When both Sarah and Benjamin agree, fermentation is stopped by chilling. Situated forty meters under the vineyard of Le Mont, the wines ripen in the cellar until the next harvest. The sparkling wines rest for a minimum of three years on the lees. 

The Wines

Below you will find our reviews and ratings for the wines we tasted during our visit.

Domaine Huet – Pétillant Brut 2019

12,5% ABV | 1 gr/l residual sugar | 4.4 g/l acids | 3.08 pH

Ripe and rich bouquet with ripe fruit and slightly mineral aromas. On the palate broad and ripe fruit like green and red apple, nectarine and a touch of green herbs. Bone dry, lively and fresh. Lovely acids, chalky long-lasting aftertaste. 

We award this wine with a 92-point DWA score.

Domaine Huet  – Le Haut-Lieu Sec 2023

13% ABV | 5 gr/l residual sugar | 3.8 g/l acids | 3.21 pH

Clean bouquet, tangerine, white peach and green and white herbs. Soft and filling attack, gentle white fruits, chalky core and grip, great grapefruit dominated acids, long lasting aftertaste. 

We award this wine with a 93-point DWA score.

Domaine Huet – Clos du Bourg Sec 2023

13% ABV | 3.9 gr/l residual sugar | 4.1 g/l acids | 3.14 pH

Chalky, floral and herbal bouquet. Slightly reserved and modest at this point. Linear and pointy acids, chalky core, surrounded by pure and honest citrus fruits. Exciting and well-balanced, will gain complexity. 

We award this wine with a 94-point DWA score.

Domaine Huet – Le Mont Sec 2023

13% ABV | 4.5 gr/l residual sugar | 3.5 g/l acids | 3.23 pH

Concentrated, velvet grapefruit and lemon fruits. Intense, saline and complex. Grippy texture and chalky mineral backbone, long lasting aftertaste.

We award this wine with a 94-point DWA score.

Domaine Huet – Le Mont Demi-Sec 2023

13% ABV | 20 gr/l residual sugar | 3.5 g/l acids | 3.3 pH

Simultaneously rich and slim. Concentrated and lush peach fruit, crunchy and fresh green fruit, tight core, clean and herbal aftertaste. Catchy, energetic and stimulating.

We award this wine with a 94-point DWA score.

Domaine Huet – Clos du Bourg Demi-Sec 2023

13% ABV | 18 gr/l residual sugar | 3.9 g/l acids | 3.14 pH

Dense and concentrated. Intense and clean melon fruit. Powerful and persistent. Textured, deep and well-balanced. Amicable in this stage, patience will be rewarded. 

We award this wine with a 94-point DWA score.

Domaine Huet – Le Haut-Lieu Demi-Sec 2018

13.5% ABV | 18 gr/l residual sugar | 4.1 g/l acids | 3.25 pH

Wool, earth and lemon. Complex, dense and compact. Juicy galia melon, deep core, slightly earthy edge. Great acids, great length. 

We award this wine with a 94-point DWA score.

Domaine Huet – Le Mont Moelleux 2023

12.5% ABV | 74 gr/l residual sugar | 3.3 g/l acids | 3.45 pH

Slightly reductive, wet wool, ripe tree fruits and zest. Full-bodied and dens. Marmalade-like and lush fruit without weight. Complex, textured, round, slightly earthy, uplifting bitterness, exceptionally long lasting.

We award this wine with a 95-point DWA score.

Domaine Huet – Le Haut-Lieu Moelleux 2018

13% ABV | 52 gr/l residual sugar | 4.1 g/l acids | 3.27 pH

Open, pure green fruits, honey. Dense fruit, incredible freshness. Simultaneously lush and delicate. Complex, well-balanced and long-lasting.  

We award this wine with a 94-point DWA score.

Domaine Huet – Le Mont Moelleux 2009

12.5% ABV | 58 gr/l residual sugar | 5.2 g/l acids | 3.12 pH

Quite earthy and truffled, decreasing fruit. Lively, open, luscious, tremendous spry and vibrant acids. Infinite aftertaste. 

We award this wine with a 95-point DWA score.

Domaine Huet – Le Mont Moelleux ‘Première Trie’ 2018

12.5% ABV | 95 gr/l residual sugar | 3.6 g/l acids | 3.45 pH

Hedonistic fruit, fresh herbal and chalky. Sweet fruit, marmalade, viscous, elegant acids, fresh tropical fruit, exceedingly long lasting.

We award this wine with a 96-point DWA score.

Domaine Huet – Clos du Bourg Moelleux ‘Première Trie’ 2006

12.5% ABV | 62 gr/l residual sugar | 4.1 g/l acids | 3.39 pH

This 2006 vintage of Clos du Bourg Moelleux ‘Premier Trie’ is on fire now. Sumptuous and luxurious. Incredible well-balanced and complex. Energetic interaction between ripeness and freshness. Weightless ripeness. Power, refinement, excitement. 

We award this wine with a 96-point DWA score.

Domaine Huet – Le Haut-Lieu ‘Première Trie’ 2003

12.5% ABV | 81 gr/l residual sugar | 3.5 g/l acids | 3.58 pH

Complex, earthy and smoky. Full-bodied, soft, jammy fruit, orange marmalade. Velvet, lush, salty and silky. 

We award this wine with a 95-point DWA score.

Domaine Huet – A Timeless Masterpiece in Vouvray

Domaine Huet’s journey, from Victor Huet’s humble beginnings in 1928 to its current stewardship by Sarah Whang, exemplifies the blend of tradition, resilience, and innovation. Anchored in Vouvray’s distinct terroirs and biodynamic practices, this winery has crafted wines that not only express the soul of the Loire Valley but also push the boundaries of what Chenin Blanc can achieve.

Under Sarah’s guidance, Domaine Huet continues to honor its past while embracing the challenges of modern winemaking. The meticulous attention to detail, intuitive decision-making, and reverence for nature ensure that each bottle carries the hallmark of excellence.

With its diverse range of styles, Domaine Huet offers a profound sensory experience that reflects the vineyard’s unique character and the vintage’s story. Whether sparkling, dry, or lusciously sweet, these wines are a testament to the artistry of subservient winemaking—where the true magic happens in the vineyards.

As the wild cyclamens bloom each season, they symbolize the enduring honor and legacy of Domaine Huet—a timeless masterpiece in the heart of Vouvray.

This article is written by our own Hermen Jansen. The wines of Domaine Huet are available in the Dutch market through selected partners of Heisterkamp Dranken. We thank Toon Heisterkamp and Bert Horstman for arranging the visit. We thank Sarah Whang for the open conversation and valuable insights.