Vouvray, Loire Valley

France

Only the best grower Champagnes have the kind of interest, sense of place and attention to detail offered by this sparkling wine. Bottled at a low-pressure of 2.5/3 atmospheres (most Champagnes are between five and six), this wine has a more delicate fizz than most. The fruit is all estate-grown (certified biodynamic) and comes from the youngest vines. Crafted in a hybrid méthode ancestrale style (only natural sugar in the must was used for the second fermentation) it’s a wine that is made in years that favour dry wine production.

A pinch lighter on the palate than the powerful 2015, it was disgorged in October 2020 following 36 months on lees in the Huet cellars and has just over 1g/L residual sugar (the wine is dosed with the 2017 Le Haut-Lieu Demi-Sec). To quote sparkling wine authority Peter Liem on the style, “...it’s a magical, intensely expressive wine, and ridiculously inexpensive for the quality”.