Claude Riffault La Noue Sancerre Rouge 2018

Wine Type:
Style of Wine:	Smooth & Silky
Country of Origin:	France
Wine Region:	Loire Valley
Appellation:	Sancerre
Grape Varietal:	Pinot Noir
Bottle Format:	750mL
Case Size:	12 bottles
$635.40 Per Case ($52.95/btl)

Tasting Notes

Not far from the estate, on Terres Blanches and Kimmeridgian marl soil, La Noue is a 2.5-hectare vineyard parcel consisting of seven adjacent vineyard plots of ages varying from 8 to 56 years by direct pressing. By the vinification and ageing, we can obtain good aromatic freshness and complexity.
The Noue Red is ideal with dishes based on pork or beef that have been simply seared or smoked.

At barely 30 years old, Stéphane Riffault (Claude’s son and now 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, this kid is clearly doing something right.
Based in the village of Sury-en-Vaux, the domaine works 33 different parcels in 6 different lieu-dits spread across 4 villages. The 13.5 hectares of vines are plowed and no synthetic material is used (the property is in the process of being certified organic). Unlike most Sancerre producers, the entire harvest is carried out by hand and an extensive sorting takes place 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. Small, judicious uses of oak help to add length to the already precise and vertical bottling. All of the parcels are vilified separately and with the exception of 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 the exposition of his parcels (many are south-facing), Riffault’s wines are always crisp and high-cut with a jeweled sort of delineation that speaks to the precision and attention these wines get. These are not your daddy’s (or his daddy’s) Sancerres.

Critical Praise