The Still & The VineSchool of Wine & Spirits
Domaine Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fumé Pur Sang 2022
White WineIssue 170

Domaine Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fumé Pur Sang 2022

Domaine Didier Dagueneau

NASPouilly-Fumé, Loire Valley, France
Didier Dagueneau was the enfant terrible of the Loire — a perfectionist who pushed Sauvignon Blanc to heights most growers thought impossible. After his untimely death in 2008, his son Louis-Benjamin continued the vision with zero compromise. Pur Sang ('Pure Blood') is the estate's purest expression of silex terroir: unblended, unapologetic, and shaped entirely by the flint beneath the vine.

Kit Aromas

Tasting Notes

Nose

Intensely mineral, with flinty gunsmoke and wet stone preceding delicate citrus blossom, white peach, and a thread of green apple. There is a smoky, almost savory quality that sets Pur Sang apart from simpler Sauvignon Blancs.

Palate

Taut and precise, with a rapier-like acidity that drives through flavors of citrus zest, green apple, and crushed limestone. The mid-palate reveals subtle honey and a textural richness from extended lees contact, but the wine never loses its tension. This is Sauvignon Blanc stripped of everything inessential.

Finish

Very long, with persistent minerality, a hint of white pepper, and lingering citrus that echoes the silex soil on which the vines grow.

Specifications
Varietal
Sauvignon Blanc
Blend
100% Sauvignon Blanc
Vineyards
Pur Sang vineyard on silex (flint) soils in the commune of Saint-Andelain, Pouilly-Fumé
Alcohol
13%
Organic / Biodynamic
No
Skin Contact
No
Serve & Pair

Food Pairing

Pan-seared diver scallops with a classic beurre blanc sauce match the wine's textural richness and citrus acidity, while the scallops' natural sweetness balances the mineral drive.

The Story

The late Didier Dagueneau revolutionized Pouilly-Fumé with obsessive vineyard work and barrel fermentation, and his son Louis-Benjamin now continues the estate's uncompromising pursuit of terroir expression from vines planted on pure silex (flint) soils.

Train These Aromas
Comments

Be the first to comment.

Leave a comment

0 / 4,000

First-time comments are reviewed before appearing. Be kind, be specific, no spam.

More White Wine Reviews
Domaine des Roches Neuves Saumur Blanc Terres Chaudes 2023
White Wine

Domaine des Roches Neuves Saumur Blanc Terres Chaudes 2023

Domaine des Roches Neuves

Thierry Germain's biodynamically farmed Chenin Blanc from the Terres Chaudes parcel delivers a wine where the tuffeau limestone substrate is as much a character as the grape. Wood plays virtually no role here — the expression is all terroir, acid, and fruit. A white wine for those who believe restraint is its own form of generosity.

Donnafugata Ben Ryé Passito di Pantelleria DOC 2022
White Wine

Donnafugata Ben Ryé Passito di Pantelleria DOC 2022

Donnafugata

Ben Ryé is Italy's most celebrated passito, made from Zibibbo grapes sun-dried on the wind-blasted volcanic island of Pantelleria. The heat of the African-influenced climate concentrates sugars, but Donnafugata's meticulous winemaking preserves acidity and freshness. A dessert wine that transcends the category.

Domaine Leflaive Mâcon-Verzé 2022
White Wine

Domaine Leflaive Mâcon-Verzé 2022

Domaine Leflaive

Domaine Leflaive's Mâcon-Verzé is a masterclass in value from one of Burgundy's most respected white wine producers. The biodynamic farming and careful winemaking bring a precision to Mâconnais Chardonnay that elevates it well beyond its appellation. For those priced out of Puligny, this is the door in.

Chablis Premier Cru Fourchaume 2022
White Wine

Chablis Premier Cru Fourchaume 2022

Domaine William Fèvre

This is essence before ornament made manifest in a glass. Where many Chablis producers chase richness or oak influence, William Fèvre's Fourchaume 2022 trusts the terroir to do the talking. The Kimmeridgian fossil-studded limestone shines through with uncompromising clarity. Alongside the issue's other selections — the unadorned honesty of Old Bardstown Estate, the single-estate purity of Tequila Ocho, the stripped-back integrity of Benromach Organic — this Chablis reminds us that the most eloquent wines are those that get out of the way of what the earth has already said.

13 proof