New Release: Domaine Didier Dagueneau 2022s – A Welcome Return to Individual Expressions

We’re excited to offer a selection of the finest expressions of Sauvignon Blanc from one of the Loire Valley’s most iconic and celebrated producers: Domaine Didier Dagueneau.

A total maverick, the late Didier Dagueneau was single-minded in his pursuit of excellence, with the express aim of producing “the best Sauvignon Blancs in the world”.

Today the domaine is helmed by his son, Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau, who continues to uphold his father’s legacy, with a similar level of intensity and conviction. The family’s 11.5 hectares are primarily centred in Pouilly-Fumé, with small holdings in Sancerre and Jurançon, and a clear focus on crafting wines that express a strong sense of place.

Yields are kept low through short pruning and de-budding, with meticulous manual harvesting carried out in multiple passes (tris) to ensure only the healthiest grapes are selected. Fermentation and ageing take place in a mix of their own elongated “cigar” barriques, demi-muids, and foudres. After roughly a year in light toast oak (20-25% new), the wines spend a further 8–10 months in stainless steel to dial up their precision and tension.

Following the challenging 2021 vintage, in which Benjamin made the bold decision to combine the harvests for Silex, Pur Sang, Buisson Renard and Blanc Etc, resulting in a single super-cuvée named XXI, we are pleased to report that 2022 marks a welcome return to the famed individual expressions. A warm and generous vintage, 2022 has yielded wines of impressive power and texture, underpinned by beautiful purity of fruit.

Domaine Didier Dagueneau continues to produce wines of pedigree and universal acclaim – which is why they can be found in some of the greatest cellars in the world; the finest vintages are capable of ageing for decades.

2022 Buisson Renard “I'm a bit of a fan of the Buisson Renard. At the bottom of the hill below the winery in the village of Saint-Andelain, there's a greater proportion of clay to flint, giving a broadness to the wine's shape that envelops the whole mouth. In 2022, you can smell the warmth of the vintage and experience its richness and yet its sense of lightness. There's an appealing chew to the wine, and on the finish, a salty residue that makes you want to continue drinking. It retains acidity, line and length and provides precision. Its maker, Jean-Philippe Agisson, believes 8-10 months in stainless steel after being in barrel plus filtration gives the wine this tightening belt.” 95 Points, Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous Media

2022 Silex “The 2022 Silex is not a lot of fun upon release; dry and tense, it really needs time to mellow. There's flesh from the clay element of its clay-flint soils, which is felt on entry but tightens up as it moves through the mouth. This remains a wine of drive, firmness and upright structure; it speaks of the place it comes from rather than its variety. Aromatics are almost a forgotten element; this is a wine about structure and texture. There is a lemony, wild goat cheese-like note and a distinct flinty whiff. Silex, after all, means flint in French.” 94 Points, Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous Media

2022 Pur Sang “The 2022 Pur Sang is done in a really sophisticated style. Despite its long élevage, it needs a little more time for its oak (demi-muids and cigar-shaped barrels) to integrate fully and for its sense of strictness to mellow. But this isn't a wine you'd crack open on release anyway. It is pure and clear, with fine texture and a tenderness to its core. The 2022 shows fine lines and length, with tangy green flavors like cornichons and dill meeting green orange on the finish.” 94 Points, Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous Media