Louis-Benjamin Dageneau 'Blanc, Etc', Pouilly-Fumé, Loire Valley, France 2018 (Domaine Didier Dageneau)

• Winemaker: Louis-Benjamin Dageneau
• Farming: Biodynamic
  
• Variety: Sauvingon Blanc
  
• Terroir: Flinty limestone soils
  
• Vinification & Aging: All the grapes are picked manually and completely de-stemmed. Once in the cellar, the grapes are pressed gently. The must is then left to settle at cold temperatures (generally 3 to 5°C) for anywhere from 12 to 36 hours before the wines are racked into and fermented in cigar-shaped low-toast oak barrels. The wines are then left on their lees for 12 months and are racked into stainless steel vats, where they age for an additional six months on fine lees. Bottled unfined and filtered, and free of enzymes, these high-acid whites can often be austere in their youth.
  
• Tasting Note: The fruit here is multi-layered and very complex with some exotic notes in the nose, citrus aromatics and a hint of flint. The length of this wine is impressive and it’s persistence is memorable.
• Scores: 91 Points, Vinous. A round, mouth-filling, textured 2018 Blanc etc. offers almond croissant, sweet apple and nectarine flavors. Full in body, the 2018 presents a sense of weight, fine texture, a line of delightful acidity and a lengthy, savory finish. It's already drinking well now but has plentiful concentration and structure to continue for the medium term.

A note on the label: The music was composed by Francois Cristin, a musician friend of Didier’s. It is written for trumpet (b flat major) and french horn (f major). The first line is the theme, which is taken from a famous song by Georges Brassens, and the next four lines are Cristin’s personal interpretation of that theme.