Domaine Didier Dagueneau Vin de France Blanc Etc 2019

Dagueneau is an absolutely essential name in Loire wines. "A quality extremist" who takes the Pouilly wines to a unique level. It is Pouilly Fumé and Sancerre that set the global benchmark for Sauvignon Blanc. 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. A creamy texture replaces raw acidity; mineral flavours combine with exotic fruits. 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.

This wine has a beautiful maturity, still well marked by citrus fruits and a superb minerality. A perfect expression of Sauvignon that will delight all lovers of this grape variety, and, of course, the "aficionados" of wines from the Didier Dagueneau estate.

Produced from the fruit of four vineyards. Two plots are young vines on the Saint-Andelain hill in the climate, Le Bois de Saint-Andelain. The other two sources aren’t on the ‘hill’; one is a parcel of 15- to 20-year-old vines on flinty/clay soils, the other is on limestone/marl soil in the Pouilly-Fumé lieu-dit of Les Coques. Combined, these sites always produce the domaine’s most direct and accessible expression of Pouilly-Fumé. It is also a wine that has improved dramatically under the direction of Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau, and now comes far closer to the quality and class of the other wines in the range. Fermented in a mix of new and three to four year old barrels, the wine was then matured in both wood and steel tank.

The 2020 Blanc Etc. is a luminous wine, almost like a bright light shining in your eyes. A somewhat forceful, austere expression with fruit grown predominantly on flint soils making up two-thirds of the blend gives a sense of firm line and spicy character. - Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous, 92 points 

The Finer Details
Style - White Wine
Varietal - Sauvignon Blanc
Country - France
Region - Loire Valley
Vintage - 2019
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 13%