Domaine Claude Riffault - Sancerre Les Chasseignes 2023

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• Origin: Sancerre, Loire, France
• Appellation: Sancerre AOC
• Grape variety: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
• Alcohol percentage: approx. 13.0%
• Style: Crisp, mineral, chalky and very precise
• Cellaring potential: Now until 2038+
• Rating: 90–92/100 Vinous

Sancerre “Les Chasseignes” 2023 is a concentrated and very terroir-driven Sauvignon Blanc with a cool, precise signature. The nose offers notes of citrus zest, green apple and ripe pear, complemented by green herbs, flint and wet limestone. On the palate, the wine is crisp and energetic, with a linear structure, lively acidity and a distinct chalky, saline tension. The finish is clean and mineral, with a refined, dry precision that slowly expands.

Vinification.
The grapes are hand-harvested from high-altitude, calcareous plots with low yields. After gentle pressing, the must ferments spontaneously with indigenous yeasts, with minimal intervention. The wine is aged on its fine lees to build texture and complexity, maturing in a combination of neutral barrels and tanks. The wine typically ages for about 10 to 14 months in barrel and/or tank, followed by bottle aging to better integrate structure and tension before release.

The domain.
Claude Riffault is among the absolute elite of Sancerre and works entirely organically, with a strong focus on biodiversity, soil health, and extensive manual labor in the vineyard. In the cellar, intervention is minimized: natural yeasts, gentle extraction, and an aging process that prioritizes the terroir. The individual parcel vinifications are at the heart of the domain, yielding Sancerres with exceptional tension, precision, and aging potential.