On this day, I was feeling the Loire Valley. I, to this date, had never had the opportunity to taste a Didier Dagueneau wine either at any of my employments or at home. I had bought a few over the years and just never made the time to open one. Perfect weekend reward opportunity!
I grabbed the Dagueneau "Pur Sang" Pouilly Fume 2007 from cold storage and we were off! As I was opening the wine, I was telling Kara the story of how Didier died in a plane crash in 2008, ending his 26 years of wine making where he was an icon in the Loire. This would have been the last vintage he had total influence on. I took my first sip and noted the refinement and balance. Expecting some kind of revelation, I was a little let down. This was a delicious representation of Sauvignon, but lacked the pizazz and raciness that I love from the Loire. Perhaps a little too old? Maybe it's the style? There was plenty of minerality and life, but it lacked a hook for me - especially at $100 retail for Pouilly Fume. When I told Kara how much this bottle cost, her jaw dropped. Literally... While I enjoyed this long awaited tasting, it left a little to be desired. There's a bottle of his "Silex" down in my cellar that I'm itching to open now in hopes of the revelation. We'll see...
As Bond is Kara's favorite California winery, and we have a history of drinking it with hamburgers, I thought we'd revisit the pairing. The Bond "Matriarch" 2006 is still showing beautifully with a long life ahead. Rich, extracted dark fruits that show lovely balance. Great nose of violets, oak, anise and black currants. This is hedonistic and controlled at the same time. Great at cellar temperature, but it got a little tiring as the sun was beating down on the decanter after a while. This continues to be a great value in the cult Cabernet forum if you can find a good price on the secondary market.
