There is no Demi-Sec from the Le Haut Lieu vineyard in 2023, but the Le Mont version seems destined to ultimately be ranked as one of the finest wines to be found anywhere along the Loire River in this vintage! The bouquet is pure, precise and already beautifully complex, wafting from the glass in a mix of sweet quince, apple, incipient notes of mirabelle, chalky minerality, a gentle touch of lanolin, bee pollen, orange peel and a lovely floral topnote of white lilies. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and supremely elegant in personality, with a great core of fruit, lovely acids and grip, fine focus and a long, seamlessly balanced and very complex finish. I love the elegant personality of this wine, which closes with superb lift and backend energy. There is an old school aspect to this wine that is not found anymore in summers with more heat and drought, which seems to be the norm seven years out of ten these days in our age of global warming. This is a stunning, throwback vintage of Le Mont Demi-Sec!
95 points, John Gilman, View From The Cellar
The 2023 Vouvray Demi-Sec Le Mont boasts a residual sweetness (20g/l) that brings a sense of tenderness and amplitude to a terroir that's big on precision and tension. The flint component in the soil and the natural freshness of the 2023 vintage provide persistence and momentum. Pure and tender, there’s a distinctive spearmint-like cooling sensation on the long finish.
94 points, Rebecca Gibb, Vinous (Jul 2024)
For a demi-sec, this leans toward the dry, savory end of the spectrum. There are a lot of layers and substance to this, with a savory thread of green herbs and bitter white tea weaving through elderflower, quince and apple flavors, while gentle tannins provide a solid frame. Cool river stone and pink peppercorn notes line the finish, encased in smoke and salt, with length and a lot of depth. The toasty cedar notes will integrate with more time in bottle. Drink now through 2037. 740 cases made.
93 points, Kristen Bieler, Wine Spectator (Nov 2024)
This off-dry Vouvray has terrific depth and a lovely creaminess that’s hard to resist, but it’s tightly wound and needs some time for the aromas to unfurl. With some aeration, red apple and honeysuckle notes emerge. Long, very clean finish that’s pretty dry thanks to the bright acidity. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
93 points, Stuart Pigott, James Suckling (Oct 2024)
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