St-Andelain's most famous address.

Benjamin Dagueneau is now in charge of his family's famous winery in the village of St-Andelain, meaning the wines known as Pur Sang, Buisson Renard, and Silex will continue. During our recent visit, Benjamin spoke only French, but he would often answer Elizabeth's questions before I had finished the translation. We moved quickly through the impeccably clean Dagueneau winery, tasting the yet-to-be bottled 2007's from tank, spitting them out, speedily moving from wine to wine.

Benjamin stands proudly next to a muid marked with the
"bras d'honneur".

Benjamin and I would occasionally say a few words between wines, but there was really very little to say. He, along with his sister Charlotte, was now clearly in charge of the cellar, and I thought the wines were stunning. He passionately explained their work in the vineyards that year, and I knew he had little time for us at that moment. I had not even expected Benjamin to keep the appointment that we had made several months in advance, but the son of Pouilly's now deceased "enfant terrible," kept our appointment and took the time to communicate to us that his father's final vintage of 2007 would be one of his greatest. I learned much from our brief visit with the very serious Benjamin Dagueneau, and the message was clear: the 2007's are great and that there will be no deviation from the winery's reputation in 2008.

I have nothing new to report to those who have visited the Dagueneau winery in the past. It is pristine. There is nothing that does not belong, nothing that does not perform a specific wine-making function. The
"bras d'honneur" is still there, the famous symbol of disrespect, here intended as an insult to those who fall short of their appellation's potential, the demi-muid oak barrels that Benjamin's father resuscitated from a forgotten era are still in perfect alignment.

The unbottled 2007's offered little surprise, they are supremely focused, intensely concentrated, balanced, and deeply expressive of their terroirs. Perhaps the only light I can shed about the Dagueneau estate at this time is that the 2007 Sauvignon's are quite possibly the greatest wines that the estate has ever produced, and I feel fortunate to have tasted them as they will surely be a rare collector's item.

A Decanter article from January 2008 reported that Benjamin had intentions of setting up on his own soon, with his father offering little support beyond his son's inaugural vintage. Benjamin carries himself as though he would always bear the responsibility of carrying on the reputation of his father's name while making one of his own. Benjamin was tight-lipped about the future, yet stood proudly alongside the wines of the previous vintage. I hope we will see more vintages of Pur Sang and Silex under Benjamin's direction. He left me with the impression that there was little time for anything less.

Elizabeth stands in Dagueneau's parcel of Les Mont Damnés in Sancerre.