WTN: Non-premoxed Huet Petillant Reserve Brut

[David M. Bueker]

2002 Domaine Huet Vouvray Pétillant Réserve Brut - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray Pétillant (5/25/2014)
Last bottle in my stash, so of course the best. No regrets going through them though, as I have had premox issues with this bottling. This particular bottle had plenty of tree fruit and was quite youthful. Only a hint of back end toastiness shows that this one had aged much at all. My wife was hogging the bottle, so you know it was good!

I think I remember this one. Or maybe I just remember drinking a 2002 Huet Petillant sec. Whichever it was, it blew my socks off, and for a few months I had the idea that Vouvray petillants would be my go to sparklers forever on Champagne's nights off. And that was the year when I knew for sure that Vouvray rocks, and I bought and bought and bought everything in sight....but unfortunately drank and drank and drank, and soon it was all gone, except a few bottles of Vouvray this-and-that which I overlooked in various corners of my cellar. And boy did they age well. What a year for Vouvray, 2002!

Since then, since that fabulous year, despite my ongoing love affair with Loire Chenins in general, I've had just about all bummers with Vouvray petillants and other Loire sparklers. But I keep trying.