2018 Pur Sang, Domaine Didier Dagueneau

Pur Sang translates as thoroughbred, this wine coming from a densely planted, 30-year-old vineyard called La Folie, five kilometres north of Saint-Andélain, hidden between two parcels of woodland. The vineyard – whose name literally translates as `madness` – is named for the local farmers who thought Didier Dagueneau was mad when he purchased the land, which was both not a vineyard and full of huge boulders. It was not even registered as part of the Pouilly-Fumé appellation. But Didier had done his homework, as not only was La Folie an historical Pouilly vineyard, but its vein of pure flint, as well as its gently sloping, south/south-east exposure, made it potentially one of Pouilly’s finest.

Tasted before bottling, in 2020, this was pale lemon-green colour, aromas being taut and super-mineral. Behind this rather discrete aroma, the palate is exuberant and explosive, being full, rich and voluminous, with incredible depth of stony, spicy citrus fruits. This is concentrated and tense, with a firm structure and a long-lingering, chalky finish (for drinking 2024-2026+).