From my in box, "Dear all, yesterday we received the terrible news that Didier Dagueneau had died in a light plane crash over the Cognac region. It is just a shocking loss of a winemaker so talented that Denis Dubourdieu described him as “… one of the great winemakers of our generation; an artist in the truest sense of the word.” He was person of enourmous intellect, humour, drive and presence and he was very also generous and warm (despite the sometimes gruff appearance). I had lunch with him in Pouilly-sur-Loire earlier this year and he was so full of life (as always) that it is very hard to imagine him gone. It is a great loss to all wine lovers. With a heavy heart,"

There aren't too many men with the courage and conviction to shake up the establishment, especially the French wine establishment, Didier was one who did and showed by dint of hard work, drive and thinking outside the box, what could be achieved.