Domaine Didier Dagueneau Pur Sang 2019

Pur Sang is French for thoroughbred. The label evolved from Didier Dagueneau’s frustration at how often wine writers were referencing the fact that he used a horse to till some of the vineyards. The first label was a photographic representation of a horsehide rug! 

This is rightly considered one of Dagueneau’s superstars - although in truth, all his wines are. It comes from a densely planted, 30-year-old vineyard in Saint-Laurent-l’Abbaye called La Folie (the madness). It’s hidden between two parcels of woodland about five kilometres north of Saint-Andelain. The vineyard is named for the local farmers, who thought Didier Dagueneau was mad when he purchased the land. It was not a vineyard at the time and full of huge boulders—back then it was not even registered as part of the Pouilly-Fumé AOC.

It turns out that Didier had done his homework; not only was La Folie a historical Pouilly vineyard, but its vein of pure flint and Ludian silica clay (chaille roulées) and its gently sloping south/south-east exposure, made it potentially one of Pouilly’s finest. This site not only ended up being the birthplace of the Pur Sang cuvée, but was also the source of the legendary, ultra-rare Astéroïde cuvée,which was made from 18 rows of ungrafted vines (that have finally succumbed to phylloxera).

The Finer Details
Style - White Wine
Varietal - Sauvignon Blanc
Country - France
Region - Loire Valley
Vintage - 2019
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 13.5%