Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau, Petit Manseng "Les Jardins de Babylone" Moelleux, Vin de France 2015

This dessert wine is truly one of the best of its kind. Vin de France but really from the Jurançon appellation. Petit Manseng's small berries have an incredibly high concentration of sugar and acidity, lending this wine superb aromatic complexity and wonderful freshness.

Les Jardins de Babylone is a special collaborative project undertaken by Louis-Benjamin and Guy Pautrat, who farms a 7.4-hectare vineyard at the foot of the Pyrénées in Jurançon. This particular vineyard forms the shape of a natural amphitheater. This Moelleux (sweet wine) is made exclusively with Petit Manseng.

Louis-Benjamin's father Didier created the Domaine Didier Dagueneau in 1982 in the commune of Saint-Andelain, in the Pouilly-Fumé appellation. Dagueuneau was one of the first growers in Loire to experiment with single-parcel wines, starting with En Chailloux in 1982 and later with the cuvée Pur Sang in 1988.

Like any great winegrower, Didier knew that the path to excellence began with careful and meticulous work in the vineyards. The vineyards are farmed using biodynamic methods and yields are kept extremely low. Harvest is carried out manually throughout the vineyards.

On a mission to resurrect Pouilly-Fumé’s reputation for Sauvignon Blanc of the highest quality, Dagueneau became the “enfant terrible” of Pouilly-Fumé and heavily and publicly criticizing the practices of his winemaking neighbors, at a time when the region was associated with overcropping and accusations of vintage blending.

After establishing his wines at the very top of the Pouilly-Fumé appellation, Didier Dagueneau further grew the estate by acquiring vines in the thought after vineyard of Monts Damnés in Sancerre in 2000, and in Jurançon in 2002.