Sébastien Riffault
Les Quarterons 2019
In the classic Sancerre style, young vines of Sauvignon Blanc are harvested overripe and ridden with noble rot which concentrates the aroma, flavor, and body. The juice is spontaneously fermented and aged in stainless steel for 2 years before lightly filtering and bottling. Enthralling, oxidative, and complex, this wine has bracing acidity with a pronounced mineral backbone. Smooth and approachable, meant to be enjoyed by all.
Grape Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Loire Valley, France
Tastes like: Elderflower honey, lemongrass, bruised green apples, flint
Best with: Smoked fish, creamy soups, classic caesar salad, moule frites
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.