Soil: clay, limestone
Average Age of Vines: 30 years
Farming: biodynamic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: direct press, spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts
Aging: 24 months in stainless steel
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: 10 mg/L

Sébastien Riffault’s Sancerre wines are not like the mainstream ones, yet they fully showcase his plantings near Sury-en-Vaux. The vineyard is covered in an array of flowers and grasses to increase biodiversity and encourage helpful insects. He uses a horse to plow for more precise and gentle tilling, which also increases the vitality of the soil. Absolutely no fertilizers or chemicals are used. He is a member of The Association of Vins Naturels and The Renaissance Group of Appellations. Riffault takes the natural approach to winemaking and leaves his grapes on the vine later than most in the region in order to get them completely ripe rather than resort to chaptalization which is common in Sancerre.