2023 Dagueneau Les Pentes, Pouilly-Fume AOC, Loire Valley, France

Crisp and shining with meadow grass, white grapefruit, white blossoms over a slick of lees, this finishes with an alluring limestone buzz. A great introduction to a classic appellation.

As I have mentioned before, the Pouilly-Fumé “les Pentes” from Valerie Dagueneau made from old vines and is always hand-harvested. This vintage offering up a refined aromatic panoply of green apple, gooseberry, fresh-cut grass, flinty minerality and a top note of lime blossoms. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and zesty, with a good core of fruit, lovely soil undertow, a good spine of acidity and fine focus and balance on the long and complex finish. A very refined example of Pouilly-Fumé. 2023-2030. 91pts. John Gilman - View from the Cellar, September 2023

“Dagueneau also makes incredible Pouilly-sur-Loire, you’ll never taste better.” - Jacqueline Freidrich, A Wine And Food Guide To The Loire.

This branch of the Dagueneau family headed by father Serge is based in Saint Andelain and owns 19 hectares of old vineyards across several of the prime sites of the appellation as well as 3 hectares in the nearby appellation of Cotes de la Charite. Today the estate is run by Serge's daughter Valerie, cousin of the late Didier Dagueneau, and Serge still helps in the vineyard.

Ancient vines, by more than a hundred years, here the wines still show clear and intense varietal Sauvignon Blanc character and the rich clay and silex soil adds texture and generosity to the palate. Whilst this does give the wines immediate appeal, with 5 to 10 years bottle age they begin to take on more weight and richness making the wines reminiscent of aged white Burgundy.