Sébastien Riffault

Loire Valley, France

Sébastien Riffault is, quite simply, a winemaking legend of the Sancerre region of the Loire. He farms his 12 hectares of vines according to organic/biodynamic principles at Sury-en-Vaux overlooking the town of Sancerre and makes his wines nearby at his father, Etienne Riffault’s winery just outside of the village. The steeply sloped vineyard lies with a South/South-West aspect on limestone/clay soils over a flinty base. Sébastien Riffault uses biodynamic principles, late harvesting and minimal intervention techniques in the cellar to craft wines that are equally delicate and refined as Sancerre wines should be, yet reflect a completely different representation of the region. He achieves his magnificent and unique wine profile through a number of techniques, starting in the vineyard with totally organic soil, which he uses horses to plow 4 of his 12 hectares with (the ones with vines aged between 35-70 years old), in efforts to increase the amount of variety of life found within it. Grass, flowers and plants between the vines allow for the right sort of insects to find habitat, increasing the biodiversity and life of the vineyard. The wine names, with the exception of Les Quarterons, all have a distinctly “un-Gallic” lilt, thanks to Sébastien’s Lithuanian wife, Jurete. All reflect aspects of the terroir or the wine’s nature. Akmèniné (made of stones), Skeveldra (a fragment of stone, in this case the famous Silex found through the vineyard), Auksinis (golden), Saulétas (sunny), Raudonas (red, for Sébastien’s Pinot Noir cuvée) and of course, the original estate name and lieu-dit, Les Quarterons. Beautiful, living wines from one of the Loire Valley’s most exciting producers.