Domaine Didier Dagueneau - Vin de France - Les Jardins de Babylone - Sec - White - 2020

Wine:

A blend of ancient local grape varieties, the 2020 Les Jardins de Babylone Dry White (Vin de France) is all about finesse—ending on a lightly tannic, gently bitter note that’s downright delicious. This is a pure, focused wine with serious length and a natural sense of structure. A born food wine, through and through. Rated 92/100 by the French wine guide RVF.

Vinification:

Hand harvested. Slow pneumatic pressing, fermentation and aging in wood for 12 months in cigar-shaped oak barrels, mass period of 6 to 8 months before bottling, then aged in the bottle for an average of 2 years before release. Residual sugar: 0.54 g/L (dry wine).

Temperature:

Serve between 10 and 12°C in a large glass.

Food and wine pairing:

Exotic cuisine, fish marinated in mild spices, pan-fried foie gras with mango and pineapple chutney, baked fish, mature Comté cheese.

Cellar aging:

From today until 2032, and even longer for enthusiasts.

An undisputed Loire Valley icon with 3 stars from the French wine guide RVF, the Didier Dagueneau estate is, quite frankly, in a league of its own. With dazzling freshness, precision-cut fruit, and finish that just doesn’t quit, these wines are etched into your memory from the first sip.

Almost impossible to get your hands on—unless your name’s on the wine list of a three-star restaurant—these wines are usually gone before they even appear.

We covered the story in detail in Racines, our magazine: long ageing on lees forms the backbone of Dagueneau’s crystal-clear style, lifted by pinpoint oak handling—whether in 320L “cigars” or 600L demi-muids. The result? Wines that are sharp, luminous, and utterly expressive.

Now run by Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau—who’s been carrying the torch for over a decade—the estate continues its artisanal, no-compromise approach, just as his father intended.

Which brings us to this rare moment: we’re thrilled to offer a tiny allocation of some of his finest wines from Pouilly-Fumé and the mind-blowing Jardins de Babylone in Jurançon (rated 2 stars in RVF). Possibly some of the most captivating wines on the planet.

One last detail: the estate stepped away from appellations over a decade ago—so you’ll find these wines under the humble label “Vin de France.” The contents, though? Anything but.