Silex, clay over flint, is the soil that gave this cuvée its reputation as the most mineral thing Dagueneau made, and the domaine works it with twice the labor of a conventional estate to bring in about three-quarters of the neighbors' yields. Barrel fermentation and aging in mostly neutral 450- and 600-liter casks have widened it into something rich and opulent, but the flinty streak is still there running down the middle, with a firm backbone underneath. This is what Sauvignon Blanc looks like when someone takes it completely seriously.
Winemaker Notes
Viticulture: Farmed biodynamically. The domaine employs twice the number of employees than a conventional winery would use for the same acreage. The goal is to produce, on the average, 75% of the yields common to neighboring wineries. Vinification: Barrel fermented. Aging: Aged mostly in neutral 450 and 600 liter barrels. Production: limited. Vineyard: A single parcel located mid-slope on the southwest side of Saint Andelain, the highest village in the Pouilly-Fume appellation, and the only one to possess soil containing the perfect balance of clay and flint (silex). Historically, this vineyard has been known as Buisson Menard, but a few years back, a famous French wine journalist made the unenviable mistake of misnaming it Buisson Renard. Didier took offense and thus renamed it the following year. Orientation: Southwest.
Tasting Notes
Oak aging has turned what was for years the most mineral of Dagueneau's cuvees into a rich, opulent wine that still maintains a classic flinty streak with a firm backbone.
About the Producer
Thanks to our friend Michael Sullivan of Beaune Imports for providing much of the below information… In 2002, Didier Dagueneau embarked on a journey to produce sweet wine. His previous attempts in Pouilly-Sur-Loire, although impressive, had been rare and in the end somewhat disappointing as there is no appellations status for such wines in his home region. He sought out an area that he believed was not living up to its potential, and landed in Jurançon at the foot of the Pyrenees south of Pau.
