Sébastien Riffault

The wines of Sébastien Riffault are born from a vineyard of approximately 12 hectares inherited from his father, spanning three distinct soil types. By seamlessly blending the striking characteristics of these terroirs with viticultural practices like biodynamic farming and botrytization, alongside natural vinification techniques—such as complete fermentation with native yeasts, zero added SO2, and prolonged élevage—truly incomparable wines are created.

Type of soil: Argilo-calcaire (caillottes)
Cuvées: Auksinis, Akmèniné, Raudonas

Type of soil: Kimmeridgian
Cuvée: Sauletas

Type of soil: Silex
Cuvée: Skeveldra

These bottlings are completely different from the conventional Sancerre found in wine textbooks, leaving everyone to wonder what drove him to craft such a wine. Sébastien explains that he has simply "revived the Sancerre of the past." He shares that as a young man, he was deeply inspired by the village elders' stories of a time when Sancerre was crafted from grapes that included noble rot.

Pre-phylloxera Sancerre was vastly different from what it is today; the landscape was dominated by light red wines made from Gamay and Pinot Noir. Even the white wines were primarily pale expressions born from the frost-resistant Chasselas, with Sauvignon Blanc representing only a tiny portion. The modern supremacy of Sauvignon Blanc only took root after 1910. Following the near-total annihilation of the vineyards during the phylloxera crisis—which hit Sancerre hardest between the 1880s and 1890s—vignerons finally arrived at a solution: grafting Sauvignon Blanc, which fits in limestone soils, onto phylloxera-resistant American rootstocks.

Subsequently, in 1936, white wine made from Sauvignon Blanc was granted AOC Sancerre status. It is highly likely that the historic Sancerre Sébastien heard about from the elders refers to the unique wines produced during this pre-war and wartime era.

While the flavor of Sancerre revived by Sébastien Riffault—through a modern understanding of terroir, biodynamic farming, and contemporary non-interventionist winemaking—diverges from today's standards of Sancerre, it is completely captivating with its astonishing concentration, complexity, ripe fruitiness, and the vibrant dynamism dwelling within the wine. It is easy to see why these wines are so highly sought-after by natural wine bars in Paris and creative, fine-dining restaurants around the world.

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Unlike any Sancerre you have tasted before, but by far the best. Sebastien's wines redefine what we think Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir should taste like. One of the standard-bearers for the grapes, Sebastien makes some of the most profound expressions of Sauvignon Blanc that exists - a far cry from the zippy, standardized clones that are so much Sancerre today. A meditative, opulent wine also has an underlying mineral nerve that roots it firmly in the chalky hills of Sancerre". (from NATURAL WINE / Isabelle Legeron MW)