Mentor Wines | July 26, 2021
Didier Dageneau Buisson Renard 2018
Didier Dageneau took Sauvignon Blanc to a level of greatness. The variety suffers from commonness and obviousness. Wines made from this grape are often too varietal and too assertive. At Linden we have been trying to tone down its aggressive, “wild” character and bring out more terroir expression. This has not been easy.
Buisson Renard 2018 showed us a path. For years we have debated whether Sauvignon Blanc fell into the category of a “noble” variety. Debate over. This was not only a Mentor Wine, but also an epiphany wine.
The wine shows uncommon harmony, especially given its youth. The acidity is nothing like we have ever experienced. Sauvignon Blanc usually has a bracing tartness, but the Buisson Renard applies a piano’s soft pedal to the typically coarse high note.
Perplexing. One could simply write off the wonder of this wine to terroir. Silex (flint) soil is special in Pouilly and the western Loire Valley. Avenius Vineyard has some flint soil, so perhaps emulation is possible. Picking strategies come to mind. How does one get this kind of harmony of balance and integration? Aging on the lees (spent yeast) in old large barrels is mentioned in some writings about Dageneau. This is a direction we have been pursuing at Linden.
More questions than answers. The signature of a great wine.
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