Didier Dagueneau Blanc Fumé de Pouilly Silex Cellar Release 2015

This is Silex — the Dagueneau domaine's flint-soil cuvée from the butte of Saint-Andelain — held back in the estate's cellar and released with bottle age.

Silex refers to the seams of hard flint running through the upper Loire's right bank at Pouilly, soils that give Sauvignon Blanc a smoky, struck-match quality and a long, saline finish; the vines in these parcels are around fifty years old. Didier Dagueneau founded the domaine in 1982 and made his name insisting that the variety be treated with the seriousness usually reserved for white Burgundy; his son Louis-Benjamin has run the twelve hectares since Didier's death in 2008. Yields are tiny, the workforce is roughly double the local norm, some ploughing is done by horse, and harvest goes through the vines in several passes. Silex ferments and matures in the tapered cigar-shaped barrels Dagueneau designed, and is bottled unfined and unfiltered. Wines made this way are demanding young, which is the point of a cellar release.

Drinking in its stride now, with years ahead. Serve at 10–12°C with roast turbot, veal or a mature Comté.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.