CLAUDE RIFFAULT Les Denisottes Sancerre 2022

At just over 30 years old, Stphane Riffault has positioned his estate among the most exciting in the Sancerre appellation, crafting wines that rival producers twice his age. From the village of Sury-en-Vaux, Stphane oversees 13.5 hectares across 33 parcels in 8 lieu-dits, farmed organically and biodynamically, with certification from ECOCERT and Biodyvin since 2017. Each harvest is carried out entirely by hand, followed by meticulous sorting led by Stphane and his wife, Benedicte, ensuring exceptional quality from start to finish.

The Les Denisottes parcel, located near the domaine’s cellar, features deeper, pebbly terres blanches soils, yielding a richer, more structured Sancerre. With extended barrel aging, this wine is released with remarkable aging potential. Drawing on Stphane’s Burgundian training, the precision of minerality harmonizes beautifully with subtle oak, delivering a Sancerre that is crisp, expressive, and profoundly site-specific. This is not just Sancerre; it is a masterful evolution of the appellations potential.

Press Reviews

94ROBERT PARKER’S WINE ADVOCATE

Situated just 100 meters from the estate, the 2022 Sancerre Les Denisottes plot spans a modest 1.3 hectares of clay and calcareous soils known as terres blanches in Sancerre. Evoking a pure, delicate bouquet of ripe orchard fruits, spices, pear and licorice, its medium to full-bodied, satiny and mouth coating with a seamless texture, a fleshy core of fruit and a tense, ethereal, delicate finish enhanced by notes of citrus. Matured for 14 months in large wood barrels, this wine has the potential to gracefully reach its 15th anniversary in fine form.