Didier Dagueneau Les Jardins de Babylone 2019

Domaine Didier Dagueneau is best known for Loire Sauvignon Blanc, but Les Jardins de Babylone is its sweet wine from AOC Jurançon, in the Pyrenean foothills of south-west France. It is made from Petit Manseng, the thick-skinned grape that defines the region's sweet wines. Rather than noble rot, Jurançon relies on passerillage: the grapes are left hanging into late autumn so the warm, dry foehn wind off the mountains shrivels them on the vine and concentrates the sugar while the cold nights lock in acidity. The vines are farmed biodynamically and organically, and the steep clay and limestone slopes drain hard and force the roots down. After a slow fermentation that leaves the wine sweet, it ages in barrel, where contact with the wood and slow oxygen exchange add texture without burying the fruit. The colour is bright gold. The nose is apricot, white peach and pear with citrus peel and honey, and a touch of ginger spice. What sets the wine apart is its acidity, sharp and mineral, which carries the sweetness into a long, fresh finish. Serve well chilled, around 8 to 10 degrees, in a small glass.