Didier Dagueneau Blanc Fume de Pouilly 2016

Ex-Negociant

This is the Domaine’s only wine that is not terroir or soil specific and is produced, in the main, from two vineyards positioned away from the Saint-Andélain slope. Specifically, the grapes come from one parcel of 15-20 year old vines on flinty-clay soils and another in the lieu-dit of Les Coques on limestone/marl soil, which is blended with young-vine fruit from Le Bois de Saint-Andélain itself. This is always the Domaine’s most direct and accessible expression of Pouilly-Fumé. It is also a wine that has improved drastically under Benjamin Dagueneau and now rivals the other wines in the range for quality and class. It was fermented in a mix of new (20%) and 3-4 year old barrels and then matured in both wood and tank.

“This is the only assemblage of different parcels in the portfolio, all the other wines are single-vineyard. I tasted this from two barrels, first a three-year old 600-litre barrel. From this vessel it displays a simply amazing nose, showing huge intensity, loaded with citrus, mineral and stone, pure and energetic. The palate is incredibly alive, very correct, with an electric, charged energy. Stunning. The second sample was drawn from a much smaller 228-litre barrel. This seemed even more concentrated, with citrus fruit, smoke and minerals, intense and focused. The palate, pure, charged and acid-framed, has a rapier-like definition, leading to a polished, elegant, vinous midpalate. Smoky and equally stunning. I rated both components at the same level.” 94-96 points, Chris Kissack, The Wine Doctor