January 2013

Didier Dagueneau died tragically in a plane crash in 2008. Before settling into life as a vigneron in 1982 he was a professional motorcycle racer. But, “settling” is a relative term; among other things he was also became internationally accomplished dog sled racer. And he was on all things a renegade, excepting family and wine quality. He uniquely at the time fused modern winemaking with ultra-traditional vineyard management yielding wines that were very soon recognized as among best whites in the world. This from Sauvignon Blanc in Pouilly-sur-Loire. His wines were intense and as cellar-worthy as any white wine from anywhere.

And thus, the wine world was breathless with our loss of the man, and potentially the wines, for the future. And on this issue, Didier’s family stepped into the picture. His oldest son, Louis Benjamin, finished the 2008 vintage, and with the help of sister Charlotte entirely handled 2009 & and 2010. And the results of three years do not reveal an iota of change in the wines.

As previously mentioned these wines are intense. This intensity begins with an uncommonly gentle pressing, a 1-3 day cold soak of the must before fermentation in neutral oak barrels. Post fermentation, a full year sitting on lees, then racked to stainless steel vats, and a further 6 months of aging on fine lees. Bottling is unfined and unfiltered. After a few years of further bottle aging, these initially austere wines explode with complexity of fruit and reveal a fully precise regional character aka “terroir”.

And folks, the intent here was to offer some of our Dagueneau stocks. But, for now, I find that I cannot recall his both amazing and tragic story,  and sell his wines on the same day. We’ll be back to post a wine list in a couple days. In the meantime, if you wish, head through the “click here to shop now’ links (upper right) and search on Dagueneau – all will appear; 2009s & 2010s.