Legends

Loire Valley Legend Didier Dagueneau Dies in Plane Crash

“The wine world has lost a great vigneron.” Photo: Courtesy of the Loire Valley Wine Bureau

Iconoclastic Loire Valley producer Didier Dagueneau died at the age of 52 in France yesterday when the small plane he was piloting crashed after a troubled takeoff. Dagueneau was best known for his maverick methods (like excessive pruning for a low yield) with Sauvignon Blanc in the Pouilly-Fumé appellation; his Pouilly Fumé Cuvée Silex and Pur Sang were highly touted. In an e-mail, the Loire Valley Wine Bureau quotes Joe Dressner, of Louis Dressner Selections, as saying, “The wine world has lost a great vigneron and the world has lost one of the most original, charming and mischievous characters to ever grace a vineyard row.” The photo they sent us speaks both to Dagueneau’s eccentricity and his love of the vines; Wine Spectator also published an obituary.

Loire Valley Legend Didier Dagueneau Dies in Plane Crash