Claude Riffault, Mosaique Sancerre 2022

90 points Vinous
"The 2022 Mosaîque Calcaire, the newly named domaine Sancerre, has a delightful texture. It's tender yet refined, lightly caressing the palate. It shows a touch of wood with the white nectarine fruit. The 2022 is an excellent entry to the range."

Vinous Reverie Notes
Based in the village of Sury-en-Vaux, Stephane Riffault works 33 different parcels in 8 different lieu-dits spread across four villages. The 13.5 hectares of vines are plowed, and no synthetic material is used. Starting in 2017, the property has been certified organic by ECOCERT and biodynamic by BIODYVIN. Unlike most Sancerre producers, the entire harvest is carried out by hand, and extensive sorting occurs before the grapes are crushed. Stéphane’s wife, Benedicte, leads the harvest team while Stephane manages the sorting and press during harvest. Most of the Domaine’s holdings are planted on the soft limestone soil called terres blanches, with some parcels on calliottes and silex. Minor, judicious uses of oak help to add length to the already precise, site-expressive, and vertical bottlings. The grapes of Sauvignon Blanc for the "Mosaïque Calcaire" come from several plots with an array of clay, lime and marl soils formed during the Kimmeridgian in the Jurassic period in Sancerre. This soil ensures a deep implantation of the vines and gives richness to the wine, while the limestone subsoil and sediments of small shells provide a fine minerality.