Pouilly-Fumé Silex

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In the glass

Aroma: smoky flint, lemon, honeysuckle, white peach

Palate: citrus zest, saline mineral, stone fruit, intense pierre à fusil

Pouilly-Fumé from Saint-Andelain flint terroir. Didier Dagueneau's flagship cuvée since 1990; pure pierre à fusil signature on a powerful, age-worthy frame.

What it pairs with

• Lobster with brown butter Full body and pierre à fusil signature handle rich shellfish; smoke meets browned butter.More wines for lobster →
• Smoked sturgeon and caviar Smoke-on-smoke between flint and fish; the wine's salinity echoes caviar minerality.
• Truffled scrambled eggs Stone fruit and smoke meet earthy black truffle; lees creaminess matches soft scramble.More wines for truffles →
• Aged Comté with walnut Hazelnut crystallisation in the cheese partners the wine's preserved-lemon depth and smoke.More wines for aged hard cheese →

With cheese

Crottin de Chavignol Our pick Pouilly-Fumé is a dry Sauvignon Blanc from flint and limestone across the river from Sancerre, and its high acidity and citrus lift the nutty notes of a half-dry crottin. The consortium names it among the wines the cheese likes, after white Sancerre and Menetou-Salon. Valençay Our pick Valençay's ash coat and creamy young paste want a sharp, dry white. Pouilly-Fumé, Sauvignon Blanc from flint and limestone, brings high acidity and citrus that cut the cream. The consortium itself names Valençay AOC wine.

History

Didier Dagueneau released Silex in 1985 from flint terroir. The cuvée established Pouilly-Fumé as a serious, age-worthy white wine. Following Didier's death in a 2008 ultralight crash, son Louis-Benjamin has continued the project.

1. 1985First vintage of Silex from flint-rich parcels in Pouilly-sur-Loire
2. 2008Didier Dagueneau dies in an ultralight crash; son Louis-Benjamin assumes leadership

Facts

Producer

Domaine Didier Dagueneau · visiting guide

Grapes

Sauvignon Blanc (100%)

Classification

Pouilly-Fumé AOC

Oak

Fermented and aged for around 18 to 22 months in oak (cigar-shaped barrels and demi-muids), then a further 5 to 7 months in tank

ABV

13.5%

Price

EUR 200 to 400 at retail

Drinking window

5-25 from vintage

First vintage

1985

Biodynamic

Biodynamic Practicing

Organic

ECOCERT

Vegan

Yes (no animal-derived fining)

Frequently asked about Pouilly-Fumé Silex

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