96pts Vinous

Riffault has absolutely knocked it out of the park with his sophisticated 2023 Monoparcelle 469. This is rich and full of concentration while acidity pierces its core and provides persistence. The 2023 has excellent purity of lemon, pear fruit and florals. Fine tension and grip on the finish lend a sense of structure. Eighteen months on lees, of which 14 months were in foudre, lent layers, substance and pastry flavors on the long finish. Chablis Grand Cru lovers will find a lot to love in this Sancerre.

92pts Wine Spectator

There’s an intriguing, smoky, herbal backdrop -- singed sage, dried grass, sweet hay -- behind the center of apple, chamomile and persimmon notes, all powered by succulent acidity. A rock-solid layer of crushed mineral elements merges in, giving shape to the fluid, streaming profile. Smoky and salty on the dense, chiseled finish. Drink now through 2030. 250 cases made, 50 cases imported.

About the Wine

Monoparcelle 469 is the cadastral plot number for a 0.35-hectare plot of 54-year-old, massale selection Sauvignon Blanc planted on a shallow and gravelly soil 30 cm deep in the lieu-dit of Les Sentiers. Fermented and aged in large oak foudres, it shows that Sancerre isn’t just about young wines for immediate consumption, but that the best sites can rival the richness, depth of flavor, and nuanced complexity of the finest White Burgundy.  

Winery Notes

Stéphane Riffault (Claude’s son and now the owner of the estate) is turning out Sancerre
bottlings that are the envy of many producers twice his age. As David Schildknecht put
it, “Make no mistake: this address in the hamlet of Maison Salle (Sury-en-Vaux) is
now one of the five or six most exciting estates in the Sancerre appellation.” Given that
Stephane’s holdings represent 4-tenths of 1 percent of the appellation, he is clearly
doing something right.

Based in the village of Sury-en-Vaux, Stéphane Riffault works 33 different parcels in 8
different lieu-dits spread across four villages. The 13.5 hectares of vines are plowed, and
no synthetic material is used. Starting in 2017, the property has been certified organic
by ECOCERT and biodynamic by BIODYVIN. Unlike most Sancerre producers, the
entire harvest is carried out by hand, and extensive sorting occurs before the grapes are
crushed. Stéphane’s wife, Benedicte, leads the harvest team while Stéphane manages
the sorting and press during harvest.

Most of the domaine’s holdings are planted on the soft limestone soil called terres
blanches, with some parcels on calliottes and silex. Minor, judicious uses of oak help to
add length to the already precise, site-expressive, and vertical bottlings. All the parcels
are vinified separately, and except for the rosé, all the wines are bottled unfiltered.
Having studied and worked in Burgundy (and closely with Olivier Leflaive), it’s easy to
see the Burgundian influence in Stéphane’s wines. The mastery of minerality standing
shoulder–height with the wood is rarely duplicated in Sancerre. Regardless of his
parcels’ exposition (many are south-facing), Riffault’s wines are always crisp and highcut with a jeweled delineation that speaks to the precision and attention these wines
get. These are not your daddy’s (or his daddy, Claude’s) Sancerres. 

Biodynamic

Organic