france: loire_valley
Didier Dagueneau, Saint Andelain
Didier Dagueneau was what the French call an "original". In Dagueneau’s case, what was original about him was an intense competitiveness (he was the 1996 Husky racing champion of Europe). He used new oak, but not in order to apply a cosmetic veneer to a "prestige cuvée". He used new oak because he wanted the aromatic development a wine gets from "breathing" through the wood as it ages.
Dagueneau was the zenith of wine makers, according to some. Tragically, he was killed in a light plane crash on September 17, 2008. He was not only a genius at winemaking, but he also listened to his terroir: nothing escaped him. Dagueneau’s aim was to show that Sauvignon blanc is one of the truly great white grape varieties, capable of producing wines that can match Chardonnay or Riesling for sheer quality and interest. He was fortunate enough to have a terroir as great as his ambition. He "only" had to add the methods, in the vineyard and in the cellar, that would allow him to realize the potential of that terroir. The impact of his bold wines is particularly dramatic because his vines are on the silex-rich slopes of St-Andelain where the domaine has some of the choicest vineyard sites in this commune whose fame is rooted in its earth—95% clay-siliceous soil. It produces firm, very well-structured wines of great length and class whose aromas typify most the mineral, flinty, "smoky" character from which the Appellation, "Smoky Pouilly," probably derives its name.
The scrupulously gentle handling of the harvest continues in the cellars at the domaine. There is no pumping during the vinification process. The wine ages on the fine lees, unfined but lightly filtered, before bottling. The wine never undergoes the malolactic fermentation. The aim is to conserve the wine’s youthful fruit and not to impede the purest possible expression of terroir. The oak is beautifully balanced with the grape flavors and the mineral notes from the soil.
The Wines
- Pur Sang ["pur sang" means "thoroughbred"]: This is a truly "outsized" Sauvignon from an assemblage of different parcels of 30 year-old vines, entirely from the argile à silex soil of the butte. It is vinified and aged in new oak "cigar-shaped" barrels built to Dagueneau’s specifications. The age of the vines makes the difference in quality and size and shows what a difference deep roots can make if the yields are kept low. The Wine Spectator (June 15, 2007) says of the Pur Sang, which it gives 95 points: "Subtle but alluring aromas of lemon curd and acacia flower belie the power in this white. Long, crackling finish."
- Silex: An assemblage of different parcels of 50 year-old vines, entirely from the butte. It is vinified and aged in new oak Bordeaux barrels. The Wine Spectator (June 15, 2007) gives this wine 96 points: "Cuts like a knife, with live-wire Key lime, grapefruit, chalk and sea salt notes. Rich and powerful."
- Blanc Fumé de Pouilly : is the newest wine in the Dagueneau line, a replacement for the former En Chailloux. It is barrel-fermented and aged half in stainless steel and half in large, neutral barrels. It includes some fruit from Didier’s Pur Sang, Buisson Renard and Silex cuvées.
Please note that we represent Dagueneau only in a limited number of states.
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