Thursday, December 19th | 5-8pm
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Sancerre Wine Tasting
Wines:
- Domaine des Griffes, Sancerre Rose 2023 - Domaine des Griffes Sancerre Blanc 2023 - Claude Riffault 'La Noue' Sancerre Rouge 2021
Each tasting includes a small food pairing: $24.00
Domaine des Griffes is located in the south of France in Nizas . The building and the cellar are located in the heart of the village, the vines are located a few kilometers away.
As an anecdote, the Domaine des Griffes takes its name from the fountain located in the central square of the village where the Domaine building is located. In the south of France, the fountains are called Griffes .
The Domaine des Griffes covers 18 hectares of vines, with an average age of around thirty years and located on the last foothills of the Cévennes. The vines benefit from clay-limestone and basalt soils as well as a Mediterranean climate characterized by maximum sunshine and moderate wind, ideal conditions for producing great wines.
Stéphane Riffault (Claude’s son and now the owner of the estate) is turning out Sancerre bottlings that are the envy of many producers twice his age in the village of Sury-en-Vaux. Stéphane Riffault works on 33 different parcels in 8 different lieu-dits spread across four villages. The 13.5 hectares of vines are plowed, and no synthetic material is used. Starting in 2017, the property has been certified organic by ECOCERT and biodynamic by BIODYVIN. Unlike most Sancerre producers, the entire harvest is carried out by hand, and extensive sorting occurs 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. Minor, judicious uses of oak help to add length to the already precise, site-expressive, and vertical bottlings. All the parcels are vinified separately, and except for 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 his parcels’ exposition (many are south-facing), Riffault’s wines are always crisp and high-cut with a jeweled delineation that speaks to the precision and attention these wines get. These are not your daddy’s (or his daddy, Claude’s)
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Wineries: Domaine des Griffes & Claude Riffault
Importer: Breakthru Beverages
Rep.: Joan Tom