Claude Riffault Sancerre Les Boucauds 2022

We wanted to meet Stéphane Riffault so much that we made an entire trip to taste his electrifying wines with him at a Biodyvin fair in Paris. The reason is simple: Stéphane is now one of the best winemakers in Sancerre and the Loire, a biodynamic expert who takes risks in the cellar to enhance the different exposures and plots of Kimmeridgian marl (Boucauds), limestone (Chasseignes) and flint (Chailloux), whether in concrete or in truncated-conical wooden barrels, with the same drama and precision.

Special Note: Vinous 92-94
“A rather satisfying style”

BiodyVin certified biodynamic

*The Kimmeridgian soils are known as “terres blanches” in Sancerre, and form a calcareous marl that when dry becomes very white, and when wet it does not come off your boots. It is the same soil as the great wines of Chablis and the champagnes of the Côte des Bar, and instead of the breadth of fruit found in the wines of the “caillottes”, we have here a concentration of calcareous minerality and cutting acidity, wines that need time to show their best.