[B325] SEBASTIEN RIFFAULT SANCERRE AUKSINIS MACERATION TARDIVE 2017 750ml

Auksinis Maceration Tardive

A macerated version of Auksinis Tardif also exists—a rare wine that combines botrytized grapes with skin contact. While the standard 'Tardif' undergoes immediate pressing after harvest to ferment the juice alone, this 'Maceration Tardive' involves macerating the nearly 100% botrytized grapes with their skins and seeds inside the oak vats. We have never heard of any other wine quite like this.

Auksinis Tardif

Auksinis Tardif (Tardif meaning late harvest) boasts a high ratio of botrytized grapes among the Auksinis series created by Sébastien Riffault. It is a special wine that focuses on 'extreme late harvest and noble rot,' making it different from the regular Auksinis or its maceration versions.

In the regular Auksinis, the proportion of botrytized grapes is about 50%, but this Tardif is made with almost 100% (about 90–100% depending on the vintage). The harvest is delayed by an additional three to four weeks, leaving the grapes in the vineyard until early November and waiting until they are completely botrytized. 

The yield is a mere 5 hl/ha. To put this in perspective, Château d'Yquem in Sauternes yields around 10 hl/ha and Romanée-Conti around 25 hl/ha, which perfectly illustrates just how crazy this figure is.

While such wines are famous as 'Sélection de Grains Nobles' in the Alsace region—which are very sweet dessert wines—Sébastien Riffault's Tardif aims for a dry wine by completely fermenting the massive amount of sugar using native yeasts. That said, due to the intensely concentrated fruit and the flavor of noble rot, you can still perceive a considerable amount of sweetness."

Auksinis

Auksinis means "Golden" in Lithuanian, the native language of Sébastien’s wife. The wine was named for its radiant amber and deep golden hues, a beautiful result of perfectly ripe grapes, the influence of botrytis, and extended barrel aging.

This Sancerre is crafted from perfectly ripe, 100% Sauvignon Blanc sourced from vieilles vignes (old vines) over 50 years old, grown on argilo-calcaire (caillottes) soil. This chalky, pebble-rich soil imparts a striking minerality and crisp acidity to the wine, beautifully structuring the richness of the fully ripe fruit without letting it feel heavy.

Fermentation occurs exclusively with indigenous yeasts. From vinification to bottling, Sébastien adds no SO2 and opts for zero fining or filtration. While the élevage (aging) requires a lengthy three years, Sébastien explains: "When zero-SO2 wines degrade rapidly or develop off-flavors after bottling, it is because they were bottled and shipped before reaching natural stability." By dedicating an extraordinary amount of time—nearly unheard of for standard wines—Sébastien Riffault's wines achieve profound complexity, harmony, and lasting stability.

Unlike any Sancerre you have tasted before, but by far the best. 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)

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