Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau, XXI Vingt et un, VdF 2021 - 75cl

The Dagueneau name carries weight in the Loire. Didier Dagueneau reinvented Pouilly-Fumé before his death in 2008, and his son Louis-Benjamin has run the domaine since — quietly, brilliantly, with the same obsession over Sauvignon Blanc and its expression of Loire flint. XXI is a one-off born of the difficult 2021 vintage: instead of bottling the usual cuvées, Louis-Benjamin blended parcels normally destined for Pur Sang, Buisson-Renard, Les Monts-Damnés and Silex, with a splash from the legendary Clos du Calvaire. One wine, made from the estate's finest sites, never to be repeated.

Because it crosses appellation lines, it's labelled simply Vin de France — a modest label on a serious bottle. It sees careful oak ageing in barrels and demi-muids, which lends the wine a nourished, textured richness without ever burying the fruit.

In the glass it's electric: citrus, gooseberry and elderflower, cut through with the salty, chalky minerality that is the Dagueneau signature. There's a green, herbal snap — mint, a whisper of capsicum — and a rapier-like intensity through the mid-palate before a bright, tangy, stony finish. Delicate but taut, it drinks beautifully now and will hold for years.

How to Serve

Serve at 10–12°C in a large white wine glass, not a small tulip — this wine needs air to unfurl. A young bottle rewards a gentle decant.

Where to Drink It

Noble Rot in Soho, spiritual home of great Loire Sauvignon in London. The Ledbury, for its precision cooking. Sabor in Mayfair, for grilled seafood and a bottle worth studying.

Food Pairings

Grilled Dover sole is the match I'd make, or fresh oysters. It's also wonderful with a young goat's cheese — a Loire pairing that never fails.