Dagueneau: Loire’s Great White Legend

Didier Dagueneau has been called many things, from his reputation as the “Wild Man of Pouilly” to the notoriously titled “l’Enfant Terrible.” Perhaps renowned French oenologist Denis Dubourdieu put it best:

“Dagueneau is one of the great winemakers of our generation.”

The lasting legacy of this late Loire legend, a driving force behind some of the world’s most sought-after, singular, and age-worthy expressions of Sauvignon Blanc, has been carried forward by his son Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau since his untimely passing in 2008.

Sharing the same fastidious spirit of their visionary father, this 5th generation continues to cultivate powerful expressions of Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre, from their revered single-parcel cuvées of Silex, Buisson Renard, and Les Montes Damnes, to their immediately inviting Blanc Etc. – an ideal introduction to the iconic style of the house.

While the wines can be drunk on release, like all great bottles, these powerful cuvées benefit from extended aging in the cellar, 5-10 years usually to reach their peak, and can easily hold for 15-20 years or more.

Discover the purity and dimension that keeps Dagueneau’s wines among the great “singular” whites of the world with our latest limited offering.

Silex – considered by many Dagueneau’s Grand Cru, Silex hails from the high slopes of Saint Andelain in Pouilly-Fumé, specifically from plots that possess large amounts of flinty silex soils. The namesake silex soils impart the wine’s signature density and flesh. While austere in its youth, Silex is prized by collectors for its ageworthy magnificence, one that unfurls stone fruits, florals, and a compelling minerality that is often unparalleled with time.

Buisson Renard – sourced from a single parcel located mid-slope on the southwest side of Saint Andelain – the opulent Buisson Renard is a textural, intensely aromatic, and exotic Pouilly-Fumé, one streamlined by its powerful and focused acidity.

Les Montes Damnes – sculpted from the brutally steep hillsides of Kimmergian clay that surround the village of Chavignol, Les Montes Damnes or ‘the Damned Mountains’ produces a singular style of Sancerre, difficult to confuse with the wines of its neighbors. A far cry from the bright citrus and grass of mainstream examples, Dageneau’s expression is brooding and thick, at once robust and minerally taut, with earthy aromas and great energetic verve.

Blanc Ect. – a blend of four parcels from younger vines in the heart of the family vineyard around Pouilly-sur-Loire, Blanc Ect. is an ideal introduction to the style of the house, offering immediate appeal.