2018 Claude Riffault Les Denisottes Sancerre, Loire Valley

And all the hard work has paid off! The winery is certified organic since 2016 and producing the most beautiful and purest expression of its terroirs; 13.5 hectares across 6 different locations and 3 different soils to be precise: "Each vineyard has its own rhythm according to its age, exposure and grape variety. In Sancerre, three main soil types predominate. The limestone-heavy slopes of “caillottes” are on small, gentle hills. They produce perfumed, floral and fruity wines for enjoying young. To the north and north-west and sculpted by the Loire River, the “terres blanches” are steep limestone-marl slopes producing wines with a broader base. They are discrete in their first year, their character emerging very gradually thereafter.  If you follow the Sancerre from north to south, the "silex" (flinty-clay) soils endow the wines with a rich constitution and a minerality which is totally unique." The care Stéphane is applying in the vineyards is also felt in the winery: the carefully selected and handpicked fruit is transferred to the nearby winery, where grapes and must are only moved via gravity. Vinification and élevage take place by soil and plot type, and after spending 11 months in oak the naturally fermented wines are being bottled unfiltered.