It’s tempting to say Huet pulled off a miracle in 2023. But then, the great growers make their own luck. So, let’s say they have pulled off a masterclass on how best to own a growing season that was far from straightforward. We could talk about the humid summer, the arrival of powdery mildew—a bête noir to biodynamic growers—or the return of the irksome Suzukii fruit fly (the aphid that took a chunk out of Burgundy in 2014); yet at Huet, these challenges have been rendered a footnote to what, in the bottle, is a sensational year for this grower’s wines. “Trust the great winemakers, trust the great vineyards.” Kermit Lynch’s great war cry remains as relevant today as when it was written some quarter of a century ago. When we arrived in Vouvray in late October last year, Huet was one of the few domaines still harvesting. Many had since given up the ghost. Benjamin Jolivieu explained that the harvest took twice as long as in 2022, but he knew the effort had paid off. No pain, no gain. Draconian sorting, starting when the grapes were still on the vine, came down to a berry-by-berry selection when the fruit hit the cellar. Losses of 30% seemed like a fair price for the quality achieved. 2023 was a year that favoured the dry styles. There’s lovely texture, complexity and drive to the wines, alongside a shimmering, light-filled length. The juiciest and most forward of the three dry wines is Le Haut Lieu, a succulent glade of orange and stone fruit kissed by white flowers and subtle toasty notes. From Huet’s chalkiest vineyard, Le Mont ramps up the mineral presence alongside yellow citrus, fresh-cut quince and outstanding, salty length. Clos du Bourg lives up to its reputation as one of the Loire’s great vineyards with its saturating meadow flower and spice-flecked palate, full of complexity and tension. Bursting with zesty freshness to balance its supple mandarin orange fruit, a mesmerising Moelleux from the same vines is flat-out stunning. We also had a hunt in the cellar and unearthed a small selection of the estate's game-changing off-dry and sweet wines, including museum releases and a couple of bottles of the hyper-rare Cuvée Constance, made only in the greatest sweet wine years from the estate's most concentrated botrytised fruit–a true wine unicorn! The available wines are listed below, but quantities are limited. As always, first in, best dressed.