Didier Dagueneau was widely known as the best producer in Pouilly-Fumé, cultivating and making wine from approximately 11.5 hectares in the tiny town of Saint-Andelain.
He was a crusader in the redemption of the reputation of authentic Pouilly-Fumé. He openly criticized neighbors who overproduce; he took the media on tours of his meticulous vineyards; he once even sent photocopies of his bill for the workers who hand-harvested his vineyards to prove that he is "the real deal." Dagueneau, ever the perfectionist, attended to every detail, from vineyard management (biodynamic since 1993) to the cellar. He went far beyond the regulations of the appellation, pruning severely, de-budding, de-leafing, thinning clusters, and keeping low yields.
According to Jacqueline Friedrich's "A Wine and Food Guide to the Loire": "...his winemaking [was] not systematic. Broadly, grapes may or may not undergo skin contact. If the harvest is ripe and healthy, grapes are not destemmed. Several varieties of yeast are added. Fermentation occurs in small, thermoregulated stainless steel tanks or in oak barrels (some designed to his specifications). After an initial racking the wines stay on their fine lees until bottling (...[no] malolactic fermentation for Sauvignon Blanc no matter how acid the vintage.)"
Tragically, Didier passed away in a small plane crash on September 17, 2008. As Joe Dressner writes, "The wine world has lost a great vigneron and the world has lost one of the most original, charming and mischievous characters to ever grace a vineyard row."
Please see below for an excerpt about Didier written by Joe Dressner of Louis/Dressner Selections:
It is easy to talk about Dagueneau in bigger-than-life clichés. He had the presence, the provocative manner, the wit, the bravado, the cutting edge and the courage to take risks. There was never anyone else like him and no one will ever take his place. But all these clichés, no matter how true, miss what was essential about Dagueneau and the contribution he made to viticultural life.
What many of us take away from knowing Didier is his total dedication to his vines. Didier started with nothing and became an international celebrity because he brought an insane level of rigor, love and attention to his vineyard. He was intense and extreme in everything he did but nothing matched his fanatic devotion to his vines.
Didier was not an advocate of biodynamie, he was not an advocate of natural wine, he used some sulphur, disliked natural yeast fermentations and did not want to sell his wine because it was organic. He wanted to make the very best wine imaginable by guiding the minerality of his sites into the bottle. He was a strong-willed guide and didn't suffer detours and dogmas.
Denyse said to me last night that when people die it is like when a light goes out. But Didier was more than a light, he was a natural phenomenon, a storm, a commotion and a celebration in a world that is often too dull and glum.
Yes, he was bigger than life. But Dagueneau was a man who didn't suffer fools and clichés lightly.
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