Didier Dagueneau: Vineyards
Domaine Didier Dagueneau is located in a complex of buildings on the outskirts of Saint-Andélain, the little hamlet where Didier was born and grew up, and which lies three kilometres almost directly north of Pouilly-sur-Loire. Didier’s idiosyncrasies remain here; on one wall, a name plate in the classic French blue-and-white design declares the building to be located on Rue Ernesto Che Guevara, although it in fact sits on Le Bourg, the main road that runs around Saint-Andélain. And above the high doors that allow access to the winery there is mounted a bras d’honneur, the classically French obscene gesture of hand-on-biceps, carved in wood (both pictured).
The Pouilly-Fumé vineyards amount to 12 hectares, divided between a number of plots. The very first plot Didier acquired, which provided the fruit for one of his earliest cuvées En Chailloux, is no longer part of the domaine. Thus today the most significant plot is perhaps La Folie, a 3.2-hectare lieu-dit on a slope of flint and clay within some woodland near Saint-Laurent-L’Abbaye. The soils here are clay with silica, and the fruit is largely destined for Pur Sang. There are also ten rows of ungrafted vines here, the fruit from these is destined for the rare and expensive Astéroïde. The family also have vines in Le Bois de Saint-Andélain, the fruit of which goes into Silex.
Please log in to continue reading: