2023 Blanc Etc...., Domaine Didier Dagueneau

The Quiet Firestarter

Bright, layered and quietly magnetic, Blanc Etc… is Sauvignon Blanc with all the easy clichés stripped away. Citrus zest, white peach and green apple lead the way, followed by a cooler register of fresh herbs, wet stone and that tell-tale smoky mineral note that gives the wine its unmistakable Loire identity. There is brightness here, certainly, but this is no sharp, grassy style. Instead, the palate feels supple and textured, balancing quince, citrus and a faintly exotic fruit note against a chalky, saline backbone. The finish is long, fresh and beautifully composed, with a gentle creamy breadth that gives the wine its charm without ever softening its focus.

For when: the food is elegant, the light is still soft, and the bottle needs to disappear with quiet inevitability.
Pairs with: scallops, grilled seafood, citrus-marinated chicken, or goat’s cheese with herbs.
If this wine were a place: a cool Loire hillside where the air smells of crushed stone, citrus peel and morning light.

Domaine Didier Dagueneau remains the reference point for serious, age-worthy Sauvignon Blanc in Pouilly-Fumé, and under Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau the estate has retained its intensity while gaining even more polish and precision. Blanc Etc…, formerly known as Blanc Fumé de Pouilly, is the most approachable wine in the range, blending younger-vine parcels from Saint-Andelain with sites on flinty clay and limestone-rich soils nearby. Fermented in a mix of barrels and then matured in both wood and tank, it captures the house style beautifully: depth, texture and mineral drive, but in a more immediately open and inviting form.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS WINE IS DUE IN AT END OF MAY 2026