Silex is the ultimate Dagueneau wine in many ways: super-mineral, pure, crystalline and typically very long-lived. Silex means flint, and this wine is produced only from the flint-rich soils on the north-facing slopes of the hill of Saint-Andelain. The vines mostly range between 35 and 65 years old, and yields are kept lower than in most other vineyards. Silex ferments and ages in Dagueneau’s famed cigar-shaped barrels and other casks, and a portion now matures in 220-litre Wineglobe—neutral glass vessels that avoid reduction and allow for lower SO2 levels. Because of the soil type and the concentration of the mature vines, this wine is always intense and often austere when young, typically requiring several years (between five and 10) to truly express itself. The 2023 is a little more open, yet it’s still tightly coiled and incredibly complex with all kinds of citrus, nectarine, sage and sea-spray. Clearly built for aging, it nonetheless makes for wonderful drinking now, especially if given a good decant.