Friday Night Bubbles

2002 Huet Vouvray Pétillant Brut, $33, Robert Chadderon Selections. It is without hesitation that I can say this is the finest non-Champagne sparkling wine that I've had. And it's better than many a Champagne, if you count Veuve Clicquot and the like. I had the 2000 Huet Brut and I really liked it, but that was years ago. So much sparkling wine since then, hard to know how that wine would rate against this one. But this one against everything else I've had in the past year - not even close, honestly. Well. I do love the Montbourgeau Crémant du Jura, but that's a totally different, lighter style of wine. Lyle at Rockss and Fruit and Peter Liem at Besotted Ramblings both loved the 02 Huet wine and wrote quite eloquently about it, if you'd like a second or a third opinion (although in this case, I am the third opinion).

I understand what Lyle meant when he said he'd like to sneak it into a Champagne blind tasting. It has the same depth, the mouth filling and expansive flavors, the same degree of richness and pleasure. It feels like a good Champagne in the mouth, and it finishes with mouth aromas that linger after swallowing. Although the flavor profile is a bit different (this is Chenin, after all), this would be right at home in a lineup of Champagne.

The nose was airy and fresh, and I got grass, flowers, and a bit of green melon fruit. Great purity on the nose. The palate was broad and mouth filling with bubbles that seemed bigger than what I usually find in a Pétillant. Fresh ripe fruit mingled harmoniously with bright acids and underlying minerals. Just excellent wine, the top of its class, and quite food friendly. Paté, roast chicken, poached fish, unsalted almonds...bring it on.