Pinguet is leaving Huet!

Seems there is a possible change in direction here, know many of you are Domaine Huet fans.

http://winediarist.com/noel-pinguet-lea ... aine-huet/

[David M. Bueker]

Huet was great before Pinguet and great with Pinguet. I have little doubt about their future greatness.

I also have little doubt that even if nothing really changes people will bemoan the imagined huge changes at Huet.

Hi Bob -

Thank you for the link - this is the first I had heard about this.

Anyway, I'm with David in expecting that things are not going to decline at Huet. I tasted several of their wines last year with Sarah Hwang (Anthony's daughter), and the estate seems to be in excellent hands. The Hwangs seem to be very dedicated to Huet, and I am sure that htye will work hard to maintain its reputation as (arguably?) the top producer in the Loire.

[Jenise]

What Andrew said; and thank you for the news. Always cool to know what's going on; things don't always stay as we'd prefer them to.

I don't think that this is good news. Pinguet is a man of intellect and stature and stands out amongst vignerons. His objection to producing more "dry" wines is probably based on the fact that he already finds it difficult to produce wines with less than some 10g RS/l because of the increasing ripeness of the grapes; by some miracle he still manages to produce "dry" wines which remain wonderfully crisp due to their excellent acidity. Increasing their production for commercial reasons could well compromise this and lead to flabbier wines.

I also note the following in the source RVF article. "D’autre part, sa politique de distribution sur mesure est contrariée par la volonté de la famille propriétaire de faire la part belle aux plus grosses commandes." This seems to me to say that Huet will be distributing far less through the small niche importers, like la Cave des Oblats here in Belgium, and will be looking instead for the big importers with large "prestige" suppliers like Bouchard P&F, Chapoutier, Frescobaldi, etc. I fear that this may lead to their going the way of Jaboulet; i.e. blander and more international products sold at higher prices.

Yes; I do worry about the Hwangs' increasingly commercial orientation.

I am with Tim on this one. Anthony Hwang is not the man I would like to see running this venerable estate.

Greetings from Sweden / Fredrik L

Huet was great before Pinguet and great with Pinguet.

Agreed. There were some fantastic wines from great sites long before Pinguet took over, and there's no reason why it shouldn't continue particularly with the cellar master/assistant winemaker remaining.

I don't see the reason for all the mourning here. It's not like they're losing Hans-Gunter Schwarz...

As usual, Chris Kissack writes a well balanced and informed article on this departure http://www.thewinedoctor.com/blog/index ... aine-huet/ . My worry remains intact.

I'm hedging my bets and ordering a couple more of the 2005 Petillant Brut.

You could always wait. The second release (if there is one) will be better. The third release (if there is one), will be better still!

Salil,

You don't have to deal with the importers that I have to deal with.

The problem with waiting is that the sparkling and sweet wines will most likely decline in volume by the Hwang's choice. Not to mention the likelihood of using lesser wines for dosage, which has already been mentioned for the 2007s on the wine doctor's blog.

Also check out Jim's loire for a statement from Noel Pinguet

The problem with waiting is that the sparkling and sweet wines will most likely decline in volume by the Hwang's choice. Not to mention the likelihood of using lesser wines for dosage, which has already been mentioned for the 2007s on the wine doctor's blog.

Also check out Jim's loire for a statement from Noel Pinguet

That's exactly what had me ordering more 2005's.

Huet was great before Pinguet and great with Pinguet. I have little doubt about their future greatness.

I also have little doubt that even if nothing really changes people will bemoan the imagined huge changes at Huet.

I wish I could agree with you on this one David but I've seen changes of wine makers on a number of occasions here in the valley with very negative results. There's a great more that goes into that job then meets the eye. The making of good wine starts in the vineyard.

Huet was great before Pinguet and great with Pinguet. I have little doubt about their future greatness.

I also have little doubt that even if nothing really changes people will bemoan the imagined huge changes at Huet.

I wish I could agree with you on this one David but I've seen changes of wine makers on a number of occasions here in the valley with very negative results. There's a great more that goes into that job then meets the eye. The making of good wine starts in the vineyard.

Lou,
I can't help but agree. Even orderly successions, such as occurred at Ridge, Chave and Caymus, are no guarantee of stylistic continuity. I think that many of us will proceed with fingers crossed, hoping for the best. Time will tell, as always.

Mark Lipton

Hmmm, I just had my first Huët, 2008 Huët Vouvray Demi-Sec Le Mont, the other day and quite frankly my socks were blown off (I realize I probably owe a tasting note). I'm not sure what this means for me since I've just dipped my foot in.

Hmmm, I just had my first Huët, 2008 Huët Vouvray Demi-Sec Le Mont, the other day and quite frankly my socks were blown off (I realize I probably owe a tasting note). I'm not sure what this means for me since I've just dipped my foot in.

It means buy now before whatever changes are likely to happen happen. Obsession isn't pretty, though. On a pedantic note, despite the US importer's use of it, there is no trema (diaeresis) in the name Huet (and despite it being pronounced as if there is one).

Mark Lipton

I don't think this is good news in any sense. Will they still make good to great wines? Probably. But I bet we will be paying a whole lot more for them. My prediction is the wines will be joining the growing list of wines that are 'luxury items'.

Even orderly successions, such as occurred at Ridge, Chave and Caymus, are no guarantee of stylistic continuity. I think that many of us will proceed with fingers crossed, hoping for the best. Time will tell, as always.

Indeed. To add to your example, I submit Zind-Humbrecht. No intrigue or acrimony, just an orderly passing from generations. Of course one can say that it was a great estate under Leonard and a great estate under Oliver. But definitely the wines are different- some would say better, some would say worse. I'm sure the new winemaker is capable, and I assume the Hwangs want the best for the estate. But for those of us who love the Huet of the Pinguet era some concern is understandable.

[David M. Bueker]

Huet was great before Pinguet and great with Pinguet. I have little doubt about their future greatness.

I also have little doubt that even if nothing really changes people will bemoan the imagined huge changes at Huet.

I wish I could agree with you on this one David but I've seen changes of wine makers on a number of occasions here in the valley with very negative results. There's a great more that goes into that job then meets the eye. The making of good wine starts in the vineyard.

Lou,
I can't help but agree. Even orderly successions, such as occurred at Ridge, Chave and Caymus, are no guarantee of stylistic continuity. I think that many of us will proceed with fingers crossed, hoping for the best. Time will tell, as always.

Mark Lipton

Ok - the sky is falling then. Well guess what - it was going to fall in three more years anyway.

Ok - the sky is falling then. Well guess what - it was going to fall in three more years anyway.

David, spare me the hyperbole. My reading at least of what Lou and I wrote is far from alarmism. I'd say that it's more realism. You could very well be right, and I'd be most gratified to see it, that they'll be no discernable changes in the winemaking at Huet. As I said, time will tell. In the meantime, I won't exactly be losing sleep over the issue.

Mark Lipton

I'll wait and see how the new guys do. Not every transition has to be a decline like at Catoir or Chave - Selbach-Oster's one recent example where the wines have become truly exceptional under Johannes Selbach's hand. Pinguet made some great wines, no doubt, but he wasn't the only one (the old Gaston Huet era Vouvrays are astounding wines), and I'd give the new winemaker a chance to show the same.

[David M. Bueker]

Ok - the sky is falling then. Well guess what - it was going to fall in three more years anyway.

David, spare me the hyperbole. My reading at least of what Lou and I wrote is far from alarmism. I'd say that it's more realism. You could very well be right, and I'd be most gratified to see it, that they'll be no discernable changes in the winemaking at Huet. As I said, time will tell. In the meantime, I won't exactly be losing sleep over the issue.

Mark Lipton

Sarcasm actually.

Ok - the sky is falling then. Well guess what - it was going to fall in three more years anyway.

David, spare me the hyperbole. My reading at least of what Lou and I wrote is far from alarmism. I'd say that it's more realism. You could very well be right, and I'd be most gratified to see it, that they'll be no discernable changes in the winemaking at Huet. As I said, time will tell. In the meantime, I won't exactly be losing sleep over the issue.

Mark Lipton

Sarcasm actually.

Three extra years with Pinguet in charge could have been very important for the grooming of Benjamin Joliveau as his successor. The fact that Pinguet has left after losing an argument with the Hwangs is unlikely to improve Joliveau's self-confidence at this juncture. There is a risk that he will be inclined to let his absentee landlords take an increasing number of key decisions.

I am not going to boycott Huet's future wines but I will watch developments with interest and some anxiety.

Huet's hyper-gifted neighbour, Philippe Foreau, will be in Brussels in March and it will be interesting to get his take on what has happened. And it is no hardship to drink his Vouvray .