2022 Claude Riffault Les Denisottes Sancerre, Loire Valley

Situated just 100 meters from the estate, the 2022 Sancerre Les Denisottes plot spans a modest 1.3 hectares of clay and calcareous soils known as “terres blanches” in Sancerre. Evoking a pure, delicate bouquet of ripe orchard fruits, spices, pear and licorice, it’s medium to full-bodied, satiny and mouth coating with a seamless texture, a fleshy core of fruit and a tense, ethereal, delicate finish enhanced by notes of citrus. Matured for 14 months in large wood barrels, this wine has the potential to gracefully reach its 15th anniversary in fine form. 

94 points robertparker.com

The 2022 Les Denisottes offers ripe fruit and tenderness. The clay-chalk soils provide a mouth-filling texture. And yet, it maintains a line of tension and purpose that you might not have anticipated on the first sip. The structured grip on the finish offers assurance and a frame for this wine to mature nicely. It is long and scented with nectarine, honeydew melon and subtle oak-derived nuances.

93 points vinous.com

Claude Riffault Les Denisottes Sancerre is an exceptional single-vineyard Sauvignon Blanc from one of the Loire Valley’s most exciting young winemakers, Stéphane Riffault. Located on a steep, east-facing slope just outside Sury-en-Vaux, the Les Denisottes vineyard sits on rare terres blanches soils, a mix of clay and limestone that’s prized for giving structure, finesse and age-worthiness to Sancerre.

Stéphane took over the family estate in the early 2000s and has transformed it into a benchmark for precise, mineral-driven Sancerre. All farming is biodynamic and organic, and in the cellar he’s hands-off — wild ferments, no fining or filtering, and minimal sulphur.

Les Denisottes is always one of the most structured and elegant wines in the lineup. It shows subtle aromas of lime pith, crushed oyster shell, fresh white flowers and lemon balm. The palate is focused and sleek, with flinty tension and a chalky, saline finish that speaks directly of its terroir. This is not your tropical-fruit style Sauvignon Blanc — it’s more restrained, mineral, cerebral and perfect for lovers of Chablis or white Burgundy with a Loire twist.

Serve with goat’s cheese and herbs, flounder with beurre blanc, or steamed mussels in white wine. Drink now for its clarity and freshness or cellar for 5 to 7 years to see the mineral depth unfurl.