About this WINE
Domaine Riffault
Domaine Claude Riffault is a 13.5-hectare estate based in the village of Sury-en-Vaux, around 5 kilometres from Sancerre. One of the most exciting domaines in the Sancerre appellation, it is run by Stéphane and Bénédicte Riffault. All of the vineyards are certified organic and biodynamic.
Stéphane studied in Burgundy, and his brother, Benoît, married into the Sauzet family in Puligny-Montrachet and now makes the wines there. Therefore, It is no surprise that the approach here mirrors that in Burgundy, focusing on identifying and highlighting individual terroirs.
The grapes are hand-harvested and rigorously sorted before crushing and a light settling to retain a significant proportion of lees. This and extensive lees ageing allow Stéphane to produce the textural wines he enjoys. The whites' vinification and ageing occur in concrete tanks and large-format oak – demi-muids and foudres.
The red wines are also among the very best the region has to offer. They are typically made with a significant proportion of whole bunches, bringing a spicy, floral character and mid-palate richness to the wines. Importantly, yields are kept low to obtain a good level of ripeness.
In all colours, this is an excellent address for precise, delineated, and concentrated wines that go against the convention of easy-drinking Sancerre.
Sauvignon Blanc
An important white grape in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley that has now found fame in New Zealand and now Chile. It thrives on the gravelly soils of Bordeaux and is blended with Sémillon to produce fresh, dry, crisp Bordeaux Blancs, as well as more prestigious Cru Classé White Graves.
It is also blended with Sémillon, though in lower proportions, to produce the great sweet wines of Sauternes. It performs well in the Loire Valley and particularly on the well-drained chalky soils found in Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, where it produces bone dry, highly aromatic, racy wines, with grassy and sometimes smoky, gunflint-like nuances.
In New Zealand, Cloudy Bay in the 1980s began producing stunning Sauvignon Blanc wines with extraordinarily intense nettly, gooseberry, and asparagus fruit, that set Marlborough firmly on the world wine map. Today many producers are rivalling Cloudy Bay in terms of quality and Sauvignon Blanc is now New Zealand`s trademark grape.
It is now grown very successfully in Chile producing wines that are almost halfway between the Loire and New Zealand in terms of fruit character. After several false starts, many South African producers are now producing very good quality, rounded fruit-driven Sauvignon Blancs.
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Description
This wine has elegant fruit aromas. On the palate, the limestone minerality provides good length and a long lingering finish. To be enjoyed on its own or with grilled fish.
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