Bancroft

Today we are excited to offer a very limited parcel of the new 2019 release of Pouilly-Fumé Silex from Domaine Didier Dagueneau, widely regarded as one of the Loire’s best producers.

Often mentioned in the same breath as Henri Jayer and Aubert de Villaine, Didier Dagueneau was called the ‘Wild Man of Pouilly’ for his pioneering ideas. A visionary and a maverick, he was famous for his unusual creations, including Sauvignon Blanc for long-term cellaring and cuvées with a significant oak-influence.

Since Didier’s untimely death in 2008, the Domaine has been run by his talented children, Charlotte and Benjamin (as winemaker, his name now appears on the back labels). They have followed their father’s lead by continuing to fashion the most remarkable Sauvignon Blancs imaginable from the Loire.  Much remains the same in terms of the meticulous attention to detail in the vineyards and precision in the cellar, but things may, if anything, have moved up a gear slightly.

Dagueneau is one of the few growers in the region to harvest entirely by hand and in the cellar they follow an almost Burgundian approach.  All the wines are fermented in small oak casks and kept on their lees for one year, before being blended and matured in stainless steel where they remain for another six to eight months prior to bottling.

As always we expect extremely high demand for Dagueneau’s wines. The sad news is that the 2019 crop was 40% down on the previous vintage so we only have a handful of cases to offer.

Please act quickly to avoid missing out on this wonderful expression of Lorie Sauvignon Blanc.