[TN] '02 Huet Petillant Reserve

[Mark Lipton]

We opened up a bottle of this last night to celebrate Jean's return home
from Florida.

2002 Huet Petillant Reserve
nose: waxy apple, a hint of toast, minerals
palate: racy acidity, slight sweetness, good fruit

This was quite a dark yellow color, but tasted entirely fresh. Just a
very nice bottle of sparkling wine, and a great bargain at that.

Mark Lipton

[Bi!!]

I'm always amazed at the QPR that Huet wines offer. Incredible
quality for generally under $30USD.

[Emery Davis]

Noel Pinguet has "decided to leave his post" as PDG of this house. He
is being replaced by Sarah Hwang, who's family has owned the estate
since 2003.

I received a rather terse letter to this effect from the domain in the
end of February. The same letter informed me that if I wished to
receive mailings I needed to email them to that effect, and that no
other notice would be sent.

Let us hope that Ms. Hwang, as well as her brother who has been given
the Managing Director hat, will continue both the pricing policy as well
as the practice of making demi-sec and moelleux. As for what the wines
will become without Pinguet's hand, time will tell... (My feeling is
that the quality will remain but the moelleux will become rarer and more
expensive still).

Several links of interest:

http://www.larvf.com/,vin-noel-pinguet-domaine-huet-vouvray-loire-touraine-biodynamisme-hwang,10341,4026010.asp

http://jimsloire.blogspot.fr/2012_02_01_archive.html

http://jimsloire.blogspot.fr/2012/02/noel-pinguet-reported-to-have-left.html

Although there has been some attempt at "calmer le jeu" it's clear that
this is not a divorce without rancor. In the RVF article Mme Pinguet
comments: "Dommage, je ne boirai plus de ce vin que j'adorais."

-E

[Bi!!]

> http://www.larvf.com/,vin-noel-pinguet-domaine-huet-vouvray-loire-tou...
>
> http://jimsloire.blogspot.fr/2012_02_01_archive.html
>
> http://jimsloire.blogspot.fr/2012/02/noel-pinguet-reported-to-have-le...

>
> Although there has been some attempt at "calmer le jeu" it's clear that
> this is not a divorce without rancor.  In the RVF article Mme Pinguet
> comments: "Dommage, je ne boirai plus de ce vin que j'adorais."
>
> -E

I would say that he's pretty clear about his feelings!!! ;-)

[Mark Lipton]

On 5/17/12 11:34 AM, Emery Davis wrote:

>
> Noel Pinguet has "decided to leave his post" as PDG of this house. He
> is being replaced by Sarah Hwang, who's family has owned the estate
> since 2003.
>
> I received a rather terse letter to this effect from the domain in the
> end of February. The same letter informed me that if I wished to
> receive mailings I needed to email them to that effect, and that no
> other notice would be sent.
>
> Let us hope that Ms. Hwang, as well as her brother who has been given
> the Managing Director hat, will continue both the pricing policy as well
> as the practice of making demi-sec and moelleux. As for what the wines
> will become without Pinguet's hand, time will tell... (My feeling is
> that the quality will remain but the moelleux will become rarer and more
> expensive still).
>
> Several links of interest:
>
> http://www.larvf.com/,vin-noel-pinguet-domaine-huet-vouvray-loire-touraine-biodynamisme-hwang,10341,4026010.asp
>
> http://jimsloire.blogspot.fr/2012_02_01_archive.html
>
> http://jimsloire.blogspot.fr/2012/02/noel-pinguet-reported-to-have-left.html
>
> Although there has been some attempt at "calmer le jeu" it's clear that
> this is not a divorce without rancor. In the RVF article Mme Pinguet
> comments: "Dommage, je ne boirai plus de ce vin que j'adorais."

Yes, M. Pinguet had originally intended to leave in 2014 IIRC, but his
disagreement with the Hwang family concerning the (desired) emphasis on
Vouvray sec and the possibility of allocating more to "preferred"
customers was at the root of the divorce. For my part, I'm cautiously
optimistic about the future of Huet, but we'll just have to see how it
all plays out.

Mark Lipton


--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

[DaleW]

thanks for notes. I didn't buy the Reserve, as I bought quite abit (for me) of the first 2 releases.

[Mark Lipton]

On 5/17/12 3:53 PM, DaleW wrote:

> thanks for notes. I didn't buy the Reserve, as I bought quite abit
> (for me) of the first 2 releases.

Sparkling wines have a relatively short lifetime in our cellar (just
their existence down there stimulates Jean's desire for bubbly) so, when
Crush's offer for this crossed my Inbox, it seems liked a good idea to
get some. With luck, this'll tide us over until the next release of
Pinon's NV ;-)

[santiago]

"Bi!!" <rvw...@aol.com> wrote in
news:5caaa6dd-e7ea-4b3d...@8g2000vbu.googlegroups.com:

>> ..
>>
>> Although there has been some attempt at "calmer le jeu" it's clear
>> that this is not a divorce without rancor.  In the RVF article Mme
>> Pinguet comments: "Dommage, je ne boirai plus de ce vin que
>> j'adorais."
>>
>> -E
>
> I would say that he's pretty clear about his feelings!!! ;-)

Mme = (Madame) = Noel's wife, I guess.


May I say that I truly believe that Huet has made some of the most
impressive wines during the last 100 years. I still have to open one of
their bottles that dissapoints me, be it young or old, moelleux, demi-sec
or sec.

That said, I find that Mme. Pinguet should have bought the stockshares that
were put in the market 10 years ago, and therefore she would be the co-
owner and would be able to drink their wines for all her entire life.

Sadly, the winery had to look for an outside investor and this means that
something was not being managed the right way, because the Domaine has some
of the best terroirs in the whole world and the knowledge to make great
wine was in the head of Mr. Pinguet.

Once you sell more than 50% of the capital... you are no longer the one in
control. If the Pinguets wanted to retain control they should have sold
less than 50%. This also proves that the management skills where way below
the winemaking and viticulture skills.

Whatever happens in the future we should never forget that the terroir of
le Clos du Bourg (my favorite), Le Mont and Le Haut Lieu is more important
than any person and will be there for the future generations to drink the
great wines.

s.

[Mark Lipton]

On 5/18/12 4:24 PM, santiago wrote:


> Once you sell more than 50% of the capital... you are no longer the one in
> control. If the Pinguets wanted to retain control they should have sold
> less than 50%. This also proves that the management skills where way below
> the winemaking and viticulture skills.

Unfortunately, that may not be unrelated to the relatively low cost of
Huet's wines. I can still buy their secs and demi-secs for just over
$30 a bottle, and their production costs aren't small given the sort of
care taken in the vineyards and the hand harvesting and sorting that's done.

>
> Whatever happens in the future we should never forget that the terroir of
> le Clos du Bourg (my favorite), Le Mont and Le Haut Lieu is more important
> than any person and will be there for the future generations to drink the
> great wines.

For me, I think that LHL gets the nod in most years, though I've had
brilliant wines from all 3 vineyards. Alas, though, great terroir isn't
enough to guarantee even good wine. Just look at the recent history of
the Clos Baudoin or some of the recent vintages from Charles Joguet.

[santiago]

Mark Lipton <not...@eudrup.ude> wrote in
news:jp6da1$b4h$1...@speranza.aioe.org:

>
> Unfortunately, that may not be unrelated to the relatively low cost of
> Huet's wines. I can still buy their secs and demi-secs for just over
> $30 a bottle, and their production costs aren't small given the sort
> of care taken in the vineyards and the hand harvesting and sorting
> that's done.

I agree. Their wines remain quite affordable and proably merit a higher
recognition. Not that I am complaining for being able to purchase their
wines at fair prices.

>
> For me, I think that LHL gets the nod in most years, though I've had
> brilliant wines from all 3 vineyards.

I think I have tasted chez Huet no less than 5 times in the last decade.
They are really generous when you go to their place and they let you taste
through the range. I really miss the old fashioned tasting room, though
(the new one is modern and impressive).

Every time I tasted through their range, I have found Clos du Bourg a bit
better than the other single vineyard wines, and LHL is usually the one I
like less. In Clos du Bourg I usually find that salinity and razorblade
precision that emerges from the chalkyness of the subsoil, and I am the
kind of guy that has a preference for "le calcaire". Le Mont is a bit
rounder and I can put it on par with CdB in lesser years. LHL I usually
think that it lacks a bit of precision. An older demi-sec bottle of LHL
from the 40s or 50s (cannot remember) was an amazing bottle of wine,
though.

> Alas, though, great terroir
> isn't enough to guarantee even good wine.

I know what you mean. However, the terroir was there waiting for Monsieur
Huet to make it shine and Monsieur Pinguet to continue the tradition. Even
if the current owner makes lesser wines, the terroir will be there waiting
for its opportunity to a comeback. We, as wine drinkers, will probably miss
it (and will regret). But we are nothing when compared to the greatness of
such terroirs.

Just look at the recent
> history of the Clos Baudoin or some of the recent vintages from
> Charles Joguet.

I learnt Chinon with Les Varennes du Grand Clos and Clos de la Dioterie
from Charles Joguet, so I feel your pain.

s.