One of the world's most controversial wine producers, though sadly no longer with us, Didier Dagueneau, the wild man of the Loire/Pouilly Fume (he had hair reminiscent of the paddle pop lion on steroids), divided wine lovers much more than most but to a great many fans of sauvignon blanc, he was near enough to a divinity. He was the one maker that allowed them to claim that savvy was indeed a noble variety. I have friends who would not touch the grape at the point of a gun, but they chased his wines.
One thing to note is that they are not your typical savvy. If Marlborough is your sauv blanc Mecca, then it might take a trip to Damascus to appreciate these wines.
I reckon I’ve tried near enough on a dozen different wines of his (he was killed in 2008 in an ultra-light plane crash – Didier was in his early 50's at the time). There were a couple that were, for me, quite dire, most of them far better than your average savvy, and a couple that soared beyond anything I’ve ever seen savvy offer anywhere else in the world (couple of decent Baron de 'L' from Ladoucette might go close).
This was one of the better examples, but not as exciting as some.
Limes, spices, lemons. Broad citrus notes. There is also a hint of onion skin. It is fresh and zippy, with mid-length intensity. There is hardly a hint of savvy here but still going well, and from a hot vintage. How many '03s from the Adelaide Hills or Marlborough would one expect to look like this?
