The winery is located in the commune of Saint-Andelin on the upper reaches of the Loire. It became known and famous through Didier Dagueneau (1956-2008), who died in a plane crash and was called a "rebel" all his life because of his unorthodox lifestyle and winemaking techniques. He came from a long-established family of winemakers, but in his youth was more interested in motorbikes than winemaking. Dagueneau became a professional motorcross rider and was one of the best sidecar riders internationally in the early 1980s. He was also a well-known musher (driver) in sled dog races and won European and World Championships. He then returned to St. Andelain in 1989, leased a small vineyard parcel and began his winemaking career as a self-taught winemaker. Without contact with his father or other winemakers in the appellation, he advanced as an outsider to become a cult winemaker in just a few years and became internationally known. The vineyards cover 11 hectares of vines in the Pouilly-Fumé appellation. He was the first in the region to convert to biodynamic viticulture and from this developed the "Dagueneau system" named after him.
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Dr. Christa Hanten
Fachjournalistin, Lektorin und Verkosterin, Wien