Serge Dagueneau & Filles Loire Valley, France.
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.
While the calcareous soil in the vineyards give the wines ample structure and the ability to age gracefully, the vineyards of Pouilly Fumé typically have more clay and depth than the poorer more chalky soils of neighbouring Sancerre. This is particularly so in the prime area of Saint Andelain where most of the family's vineyard holdings are located.
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.
2021 Pouilly Fumé Les Chaudoux
100% Sauvignon Blanc, hand harvested from a 1.5 ha parcel of 45 year-old vines grown on clay/chalk 'terres blanches' and Kimmeridgian marls. The fruit is fully de-stemmed and is kept on skins for 10-12 hours. Made solely in stainless steel it is left to mature on lees (stirred weekly) for 8 months before racking and maturing for a further 16 months. Well structured and will age beautifully for 10 years or more.
"The les Chaudoux bottling is Dagueneau’s oldest vine cuvée of Pouilly-Fumé, made from vines that were fifty-eight years of age in 2021. This bottling used to be labelled as Clos des Chaudoux, but seems to have been changed in this vintage to the simpler les Chaudoux. The wine is excellent in 2021, offering up a complex bouquet of gooseberry, green apple, cut grass, flinty minerality, lime peel and a top note of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is deep, complex, full bodied and gently grassy in personality, with a fine core of fruit, excellent mineral undertow, good acidity and a long, well balanced and complex finish. Given the vagaries of the 2021 growing season, this wine’s quality is remarkable! 2025-2035. 92/100.” John Gilman - View from the Cellar, July-August 2025
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