Didier Dagueneau
Encyclopedia
Didier Dagueneau was a winemaker
in the Loire Valley who received a cult following for his Sauvignon Blanc
wines from the Pouilly Fumé appellation. He died on 17 September 2008, in an ultralight
plane crash in the Cognac
region of France. He is survived by two children with his ex-wife Martine, Benjamin and Charlotte, who work at the domaine, and two children with his partner Suzan Cremer, Aaron and Léon.
, Nièvre
, Burgundy
. His winery with 12 hectares (29.7 acre) of vineyards was in the town of Saint-Andelain, in Pouilly Fumé. He was seeking to make "the best Sauvignon blanc in the world". He made a variety of different cuveés, including Buisson-Renard, Pur Sang (French for "pureblood"), Asteroïde, and Silex ("flint
"). Somewhat unusually for the appellation and grape variety, many of his wines were meant for cellaring and some had a clear influence of oak. He was also developing vineyards in Jurançon.
An ex-motorcycle racer with no formal enological training Dagueneau clashed with other winegrowers about "typicité" ("typicity
" or "showing its origin") while achieving unprecedented prices for the region.
His vineyard practices were a combination of the exacting (extremely low yields, hand harvesting in multiple passes) with the unusual, such as using horses to plow the soil between vines. He was described as a risk taker and an experimenter, with perfectionist attitudes to his work, cutting yields severely to achieve greater ripeness.
Viticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
in the Loire Valley who received a cult following for his Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French word sauvage and blanc due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France., a possible descendant of savagnin...
wines from the Pouilly Fumé appellation. He died on 17 September 2008, in an ultralight
Ultralight aviation
The term "ultralight aviation" refers to light-weight, 1- or 2-person airplanes., also called microlight aircraft in the UK, India and New Zealand...
plane crash in the Cognac
Cognac
Cognac is a commune in the Charente department in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-Geography:Cognac is situated on the river Charente between the towns of Angoulême and Saintes. The majority of the town has been built on the river's left bank, with the smaller right...
region of France. He is survived by two children with his ex-wife Martine, Benjamin and Charlotte, who work at the domaine, and two children with his partner Suzan Cremer, Aaron and Léon.
Winemaking
Dagueneau was born in 1956 in Saint-AndelainSaint-Andelain
Saint-Andelain is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France.It lies just a couple of km east of Pouilly-sur-Loire, famous for the wine known as Pouilly-Fumé. Saint-Andelain sits on a hilltop and is surrounded by vineyards that are part of the Pouilly-Fumé wine region...
, Nièvre
Nièvre
Nièvre is a department in the centre of France named after the Nièvre River.-History:Nièvre is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
, Burgundy
Bourgogne
Burgundy is one of the 27 regions of France.The name comes from the Burgundians, an ancient Germanic people who settled in the area in early Middle-age. The region of Burgundy is both larger than the old Duchy of Burgundy and smaller than the area ruled by the Dukes of Burgundy, from the modern...
. His winery with 12 hectares (29.7 acre) of vineyards was in the town of Saint-Andelain, in Pouilly Fumé. He was seeking to make "the best Sauvignon blanc in the world". He made a variety of different cuveés, including Buisson-Renard, Pur Sang (French for "pureblood"), Asteroïde, and Silex ("flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
"). Somewhat unusually for the appellation and grape variety, many of his wines were meant for cellaring and some had a clear influence of oak. He was also developing vineyards in Jurançon.
An ex-motorcycle racer with no formal enological training Dagueneau clashed with other winegrowers about "typicité" ("typicity
Typicity
Typicity is a term in wine tasting used to describe the degree to which a wine reflects its varietal origins, and thus demonstrate the signature characteristics of the grape from which it was produced, i.e., how much a Merlot wine “tastes like a Merlot”...
" or "showing its origin") while achieving unprecedented prices for the region.
His vineyard practices were a combination of the exacting (extremely low yields, hand harvesting in multiple passes) with the unusual, such as using horses to plow the soil between vines. He was described as a risk taker and an experimenter, with perfectionist attitudes to his work, cutting yields severely to achieve greater ripeness.