Sébastien Riffault
Akmenine 2017
Old vines of botrytized Sauvignon Blanc are pressed into tanks and aged for 2 to 3 years. Unfiltered and unfined, this wine is profound, oxidative, and complex. With an aromatic, ever changing nose, racy acidity, and mineral finish, this wine feels way more fancy that it probably should. Precise but daring, bold but refreshing, approachable but different.
Grape Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Loire Valley, France
Tastes like: Quince, white peach, wet gravel, honeysuckle
Best with: Bouillabaisse, bacon wrapped shrimp, pad thai, mild cheeses
Size: 750 ml
Alc Content: 13%
made in france by
Sébastien Riffault
Sancerre’s lone wolf of natural wine, Sébastien Riffault took over his father’s Loire Valley estate in 2004, quickly turning to organics and later biodynamics. Riffault has gone against tradition in Sancerre, and is focused on quality, artisanal natural wines that are true expressions of technique, grape, and soil.
a closer look
Behind the Bottle
Atypical in style, Riffault’s wines are contrary to the industrial nature of most of Sancerre, as his winemaking style prizes botrytis and extreme ripeness along with very long aging in a variety of vessels. Preferring to work the fields with horses and manual tools, Riffault has eliminated filtration, fining, and sulfite additions in most of his wines, becoming one of the most radical winemakers in the Loire Valley.