Domaine Claude Riffault
Monoparcelle 469
Sancerre
2022

The producer

Domaine Claude Riffault, located in Sury-en-Vaux near Sancerre, is a family-run estate now led by Stéphane Riffault, who has elevated it to one of the region's most esteemed producers. The 13.5-hectare vineyard is certified organic and biodynamic, reflecting a deep commitment to sustainable viticulture. Stéphane's Burgundian training influences his meticulous approach, emphasizing terroir expression through minimal intervention and separate vinification of each parcel. The estate's wines, particularly their Sancerre bottlings, are celebrated for their precision, minerality, and site-specific character, making Domaine Claude Riffault a benchmark for quality in the appellation. 

The wine

Domaine Claude Riffault's Monoparcelle 469 is a distinguished Sancerre crafted from a single southeast-facing parcel in the Les Sentiers lieu-dit, featuring 52-year-old vines rooted in shallow Kimmeridgian chalky marls rich in seashell fossils. This terroir imparts a distinctive minerality to the wine, which is vinified for 18 months in larger oak vats to enhance its complexity. The resulting Sancerre reveals aromas of iodine and crushed limestone interwoven with lemon citrus fruit, offering a full-bodied and textured palate that balances elegance with extended saline persistence. This meticulous approach highlights the unique character of the vineyard, making Monoparcelle 469 a notable expression of Sancerre's terroir.

We choose our wines based on a range of criteria (see how we choose our wines) of which critic scores is just one. Rather than simply highlight the best score to promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a 92/100 average critic score or better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add individual critic scors to our website in the future.