Back-Vintage Dagueneau MAGNUMS
2005 Pur Sang - 2005 Silex - 2006 Silex
A Format Befitting Didier
In many ways, Didier Dagueneau was larger than life.
Today we have precious few, but they are just too cool to not email. Back-vintage Dagueneau MAGNUMS: 2005 Pur Sang, 2005 Silex and 2006 Silex.
There's probably not much that needs to be said here, as we have just a few of each to go around and we're sending this out only to a small group of serious Sauvignon Blanc supporters - you likely need no introduction to Dagueneau. You already know back-vintage Dagueneau is rare, magnums rarer.
We expect that these will go quite quickly, particularly considering the sharp pricing today.
As for the difference in the two vineyard sites featured: Silex is often referred to as the "Grand Cru" offering from Dagueneau, sourced from a vineyard high up on the hill of St. Andelain in Pouilly-Fumé where there's a significant portion of flinty silex soil and considerably less clay. The result is a wine that's firmer, more structured, that can come across as austere in youth, needing more cellar time in bottle as well as more time in the glass to open up - but when it does… wow.
The Pur Sang offers a fascinating contrast to the Silex, as it's sourced from a parcel north of St. Andelain called La Folie, where there's lots of clay and little silex in the soil. Where the Silex is a bit more restrained, the Pur Sang tends towards gregariousness even as it maintains a crystalline profile and impeccable balance. Both are aged in Dagueneau's famous cigar-shaped barrels that are designed to increase lees contact, adding both freshness and richness of texture. Both are definitively Dagueneau.
As for the vintage differences in the 05 and 06 Silex, Peter Liem summed it up nicely in his Besotted Ramblings blog: "Both the 2005 and 2006 vintages were great ones for Dagueneau, but they express themselves in different ways, with 2005 showing more prominent acidity and a silky, almost ethereal perfume; 2006, in contrast, is a little richer and more densely knit."
We'll leave it at that. If you get one or two, feel free to bury it in the cellar as all Dageuneau wines are meant to age - these magnums will go for a long time.
Quantities, as mentioned above, are limited. Please give us your maximum order, and we'll do our best. Have a great weekend!
To order, please reply to this email or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits
2005 Pur Sang
2006 Silex
2005 Silex