Domaine Huet

Victor Huet, a former Parisian bistro owner, established the estate in 1928 with the purchase of the Le Haut-Lieu vineyard. His son Gaston Huet took over management in 1937 and led the domaine for over 50 years, also serving as the mayor of Vouvray for nearly half a century. After Gaston's death in 2002, the estate was sold to the Hwang family in 2003 to resolve inheritance tax issues. Today, the domaine is managed by siblings Sarah and Hugo Hwang, who have maintained the property's focus on quality while retaining the expertise of the existing staff. The estate's history is closely tied to the development and international recognition of the Vouvray appellation.

The estate covers 35 hectares across three primary vineyard sites located on Vouvray's Première Côte. Le Haut-Lieu features deep brown clay and limestone soils that tend to produce supple wines. Le Mont is characterized by green clay and silica, yielding wines with mineral precision and tension. Clos du Bourg, a walled vineyard with thin stony soil over solid limestone, produces the most powerful and structured wines of the trio. The domaine was a pioneer of biodynamic viticulture in the Loire Valley, initiating the transition in 1988 and receiving full certification in 1993. Winemaker Benjamin Joliveau, who worked for several years under previous manager Jean-Bernard Berthomé, continues to use indigenous yeasts and minimal cellar intervention to express the specific character of each plot.

Domaine Huet exclusively produces Chenin Blanc in a variety of styles that vary each year depending on the weather conditions. These styles include dry (Sec), off-dry (Demi-Sec), sweet (Moelleux), and sparkling (Pétillant) wines. In the best vintages, the estate harvests botrytized grapes in multiple passes to create a highly concentrated dessert wine known as Cuvée Constance, named for Gaston's mother. The domaine is recognized for its ability to produce white wines with extraordinary aging potential, with many bottles capable of evolving for 50 years or more. It remains a primary reference for the Vouvray appellation and is widely regarded as one of the most important white wine producers in France.