One of the legendary addresses of the Loire, the wines here have a massive following for their unique style, which was one of the first for the region to focus on a riper, more powerful Pouilly-Fume without losing the classic minerality. With Didier's untimely passing in 2008, his son Louis Benjamin took over the production, and the wines are as significant and more difficult to procure than ever, with Silex being the flagship of the Dagueneau domaine. While not a single site bottling like the Pur Sang, this sees a collection of the domaines oldest and best vines that are planted on flint-rich soils and fermented in various sizes of oak with different percentages of new. It is a bit of mad science winemaking, but the results are excellent, and Silex shows its textbook intensity with focused acidity, captivating flinty minerality, and concentrated ripe fruit. It is one of Loire's best and most unique wines, responsible for inspiring a whole new wave of winemaking. 2022 is an excellent vintage for this wine, and while it was rowdy on release, time in the bottle is doing wonders. We have low pricing on this top example arriving this week, and it's not to be missed by fans of Dagueneau!
Vinous (Rebecca Gibb MW) 94 points! "The 2022 Silex is not a lot of fun upon release; dry and tense, it really needs time to mellow. There's flesh from the clay element of its clay-flint soils, which is felt on entry but tightens up as it moves through the mouth. This remains a wine of drive, firmness and upright structure; it speaks of the place it comes from rather than its variety. Aromatics are almost a forgotten element; this is a wine about structure and texture. There is a lemony, wild goat cheese-like note and a distinct flinty whiff. SIlex, after all, means flint in French."
2022 Didier Dagueneau Silex Eta 4-4-2025
2022 Didier Dagueneau Silex Eta 4-4-2025
One of the legendary addresses of the Loire, the wines here have a massive following for their unique style, which was one of the first for the region to focus on a riper, more powerful Pouilly-Fume without losing the classic minerality. With Didier's untimely passing in 2008, his son Louis Benjamin took over the production, and the wines are as significant and more difficult to procure than ever, with Silex being the flagship of the Dagueneau domaine. While not a single site bottling like the Pur Sang, this sees a collection of the domaines oldest and best vines that are planted on flint-rich soils and fermented in various sizes of oak with different percentages of new. It is a bit of mad science winemaking, but the results are excellent, and Silex shows its textbook intensity with focused acidity, captivating flinty minerality, and concentrated ripe fruit. It is one of Loire's best and most unique wines, responsible for inspiring a whole new wave of winemaking. 2022 is an excellent vintage for this wine, and while it was rowdy on release, time in the bottle is doing wonders. We have low pricing on this top example arriving this week, and it's not to be missed by fans of Dagueneau!
Vinous (Rebecca Gibb MW) 94 points! "The 2022 Silex is not a lot of fun upon release; dry and tense, it really needs time to mellow. There's flesh from the clay element of its clay-flint soils, which is felt on entry but tightens up as it moves through the mouth. This remains a wine of drive, firmness and upright structure; it speaks of the place it comes from rather than its variety. Aromatics are almost a forgotten element; this is a wine about structure and texture. There is a lemony, wild goat cheese-like note and a distinct flinty whiff. SIlex, after all, means flint in French."
