Product Information:
Domaine Didier Dagueneau Blanc Etc 2020 is ready. Still well marked by citrus fruits, has superb minerality, and still nothing like what you'd expect Sauvignon Blanc to be. This is always the Domaine’s most accessible expression of Pouilly-Fumé. It’s layered and creamy with white peach and ripe pear fruit, some daisy florals. Some nuttiness in the finish and a lees-derived complexity.
Domaine Didier Dagueneau Blanc Etc has improved dramatically under the direction Didier's son, Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau and now comes far closer to the other wines in the range in both quality and class. Produced from the fruit of four vineyards - two plots are young vines on the Saint-Andelain hill, a parcel of 15- to 20-year-old vines on flinty/clay soils, the fourth is on limestone/marl soil in the Pouilly-Fumé lieu-dit of Les Coques. Fermented in a mix of new and three to four year old barrels, the wine was then matured in both wood and steel tank.
Maker:
Dagueneau is an absolutely essential name in Loire wines. "A quality extremist" who takes the Pouilly wines to a unique level. It is after all in Pouilly Fumé and Sancerre that set the global benchmark for Sauvignon Blanc. The two signature wines, Silex and Pur Sang rank amongst the great white wines of the world. They are in a dimension beyond being merely outstanding Sauvignon Blanc.
Didier Dagueneau will forever be remembered as “The Wild Man of Saint-Andelain”. A true enfant terrible, he singlehandedly revolutionised viticulture and wine making in Pouilly-Fumé. Initially vilified by his peers, he was eventually revered for his success. Dagueneau tragically passed away in a light plane crash in September 2008. His son is now in charge of the Domaine and continues to uphold his father’s remarkable legacy.
Benjamin Dagueneau grew up in the vineyards and tasting great wines with his legendary father. He completed a degree in oenology and came back to work at the Domaine in 2004 after a year with François Chidaine in Montlouis and another year with Olivier Jullien at Mas Jullien in the Languedoc. He was about to launch his own Domaine when his father tragically passed away. He was ready.
But how do the wines of Louis Benjamin differ from those of his father. The wines today have the same tension and vineyard expression that they did under Didier yet there is an added generosity and texture which certainly adds something to the equation. Regardless, no matter which wine you choose, each bottle from this avant-garde grower lives in a dimension beyond being merely outstanding Sauvignon Blanc and ranks amongst the great white wines of the world.
Philosophy:
Didier Dagueneau crusaded for his idea of authentic Pouilly Fumé. He knew that healthy fruit from low yielding, old vines produces the purest, most intense and vibrantly fresh wine. Domaine Dagueneau's self imposed yield limit of 45 hectolitres per hectare has everything to do with his wines not being 'typical' of the appellation. Stylistically creamy texture replaces raw acidity; mineral flavours combine with exotic fruits.
In 2018 Benjamin Dagueneau pulled his family Domaine out of the Pouilly-Fumé appellation. Clearly, there is no love lost between Domaine Dagueneau and the authorities. Last year Louis-Benjamin liberated his wines by removing every reference to Pouilly-Fumé that remained on his labels—including Blanc Fumé de Pouilly, which is now labelled as Blanc Etc... It goes without saying that at no time in history has Domaine Didier Dagueneau relied on the appellation’s name to sell its wines. If anything, this latest change only serves to underline the non-conformity and confidence of one of France’s great Domaines. His father would be proud.
Nose - Baked Apple, Daisy Flowers, Pastry
Restrained and coiled up, opens gradually with pear juice, wild flowers and sizzled butter and shortcrust pastry.
Palate - Citrus, Honey, Wet Stone
Citrus but also baked apple, honey and pastry flavours while retaining freshness.
Finish - Pear Fruit, Almond Cream, Slate
It is long and concentrated with a firm sense of structure. Some real grip and obvious ageing potential.
The 2020 Blanc etc. is developing into a mellow style with the richness of the vintage showing. It is what the French would call gourmand and, close to three years after being harvested, has entered a delectable stage of its evolution. Yes, it's still young but has improved and opened up since tasting a year ago. It now offers baked apple, honey and pastry flavours while retaining freshness. It is long and concentrated with a firm sense of structure, doing the mouth equivalent of providing a firm, reassuring handshake, likely due to the clay-flint soils, which make up two-thirds of the blend. - Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous, 93 Points.
The Finer Details
Style - White Wine
Varietal - Sauvignon Blanc
Country - France
Region - Loire Valley
Vintage - 2020
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 13%
