Claude Riffault

### History Claude Riffault is the name behind the domaine, though it is Stéphane Riffault, Claude's son, who has shaped the estate's contemporary identity. Stéphane took over from his father and gradually moved the operation away from conventional viticulture toward a more careful, site-sensitive approach. The transition was neither abrupt nor loudly announced; it played out over years of incremental adjustment in both vineyard and cellar. The domaine is based in Sury-en-Vaux, one of the quieter communes of the appellation, and has remained a small, family-run operation throughout its history.

### Vineyards The domaine farms several distinct parcels across the Sancerre appellation, and the single-vineyard bottlings in the range reflect a deliberate effort to isolate the differences between sites. The named wines, Les Chasseignes, Les Chailloux, Les Denisottes, and the Monoparcelle series, each come from individual plots with different soil compositions. Sancerre's three dominant soil types (Kimmeridgian limestone known locally as terres blanches, flinty silex, and the clay-limestone caillottes) are all present across the appellation, and Riffault's parcels span more than one of these. Stéphane farms organically, though the precise certification status is not always prominently documented on labels. Vine age varies by parcel; the older plots feeding the single-vineyard bottlings are a clear priority.

### Winemaking Stéphane Riffault works with native yeasts and favors extended, unhurried fermentations. The wines typically age in a mix of large old oak vessels and neutral containers, with minimal intervention throughout. He avoids heavy-handed use of new oak; the goal is to keep the wines transparent to their source rather than marked by the cellar. Filtration is light to nonexistent depending on the vintage and cuvée. The Monoparcelle series, distinguished by parcel numbers rather than place names, represents the most precise expression of this approach, bottling individual plots that might otherwise be blended into the broader cuvées. The entry-level wine, sold under the simple Claude Riffault label, draws on younger vines or declassified fruit and offers an accessible point of entry into the domaine's style without sacrificing its fundamental character.