Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Saturday, 25 February 2012

Noël Pinguet: 'Voila la vraie information!'

 Noël Pinguet and his wife, Marie-Françoise@the Huet Portes Ouvertes in May 2011 

I have just received the following message from Noël Pinguet. He says his departure is much more calm than painted in La Revue du Vin de France. Noël has decided to leave now he is 67 (born in a fine vintage) and after 40 vintages, including some in Hungary. He will be spending more time at his house in Noirmoutier, on the Vendée coast, fishing and seeing more of his grandchildren.

He has full confidence in the new generation and the team. There will be a continuity of approach to making the wines and their distribution. Noël will continue to sell in partnership with the Hwang family old vintages of Huet.*     



'Cher Jim

Heureusement mon départ du domaine est effectivement beaucoup  plus calme que le laisse entendre la RVF?  à 67 ans et après 40 ans de vinification je laisse la place à la nouvelle génération et j'ai totalement confiance dans l'équipe qui travaille avec moi depuis longtemps pour continuer avec le même esprit la production et la commercialisation des vins du domaine qui je suis sûr te donneront toujours autant de plaisir.

Je continue toujours à vendre avec la famille Hwang les vieux millésimes  de la famille Huet, nous aurons donc encore le plaisir de partager de bons moment autour d'un verre de "Huet"

Je vais profiter maintenant plus souvent de notre maison de Noirmoutier, de la pêche et de mes petites filles.

Voila la vraie information.

Amitiés

Noël' 


See also fine post on Noël's departure from Chris Kissack (the wine doctor) here.



Anthony and Evelyn Hwang@Richards Walford tasting London January 2009  

* The old stock is owned by a separate company – SARL Gaston Huet. This company is owned by the Huet family and is run by Noël owns all the vintages between 1975 and 1921 plus all the remaining stock from 1989.

26th February 2012: See update here

See update  

7 comments:

Robert Giorgione said...

Thanks for sharing the truth from the horse's mouth!

Jim's Loire said...

Robert. Thanks. Would be good if the parting is more amicable than suggested in LRVF, although it does appear to be more abrupt than had been previously intended.

AlanM said...

Thanks Jim, reassuring.
By the way I value your blog enormously so please keep up the good work

Victor de la Serna said...

Noël is a gentleman.

Jan-Tore Egge said...

Good to hear.

Unknown said...

Merci Jim de rétablir la vérité.
Amitiés.
Johan

Anonymous said...

Jim,

well, whatever the reason for the suddeness of Noel P's departure, it does look as though continuity will be maintained in what I think are the best wines on the Loire (ie some of the best in the world), which must be welcome news - though that must always be a difficult judgment (and the certainty of that obviously arguable view is further tempered by the fact I have not tried a fraction of the Loire producers you have).

By the way, when in London do you feel like popping on a bus down the hill and joinng me in trying some decently aged examples from my cellar?

Graham