In the glass
Aroma: yellow apple, white peach, fine spice, chalk
Palate: lemon zest, stone fruit, creamy lees, saline mineral
Single-vineyard Sancerre from calcaire lité (layered limestone) parcels. Riffault describes the cuvée as 'fruit in its finest finesse', balanced by demi-muid lees ageing.
What it pairs with
-
Roast pike-perch with beurre blanc
Loire freshwater fish in butter sauce meets the wine's lees creaminess and saline lift. -
Lobster ravioli
Shellfish sweetness and creamy lees align; chalk minerality refreshes between bites. -
Gougères
Burgundian cheese puffs and the wine's gentle oak weight; Gruyère meets saline mineral. -
Aged Comté
Hazelnut crystallisation in 24+ month Comté finds the wine's creamy lees and fine spice.
History
Les Chasseignes is one of the estate's six lieu-dit cuvées, sourced from calcaire lité (layered limestone). The cuvée was Stéphane Riffault's first to receive demi-muid lees ageing.
- 2005 — First vintage of Les Chasseignes bottled
Facts
- Producer
- Domaine Claude Riffault
- Grapes
- Sauvignon Blanc (100%)
- Classification
- Sancerre AOC
- Oak
- Fermented and aged in 500-litre oak demi-muids, mostly older, around 12 months on fine lees
- ABV
- 13.0%
- Price
- EUR 35 to 55 at retail
- Drinking window
- 2-12 from vintage
- First vintage
- 2005
- Biodynamic
- Biodynamic Practicing
- Organic
- ECOCERT
- Vegan
- Yes (no animal-derived fining)
Scores
- Vinous 92 (2021 vintage, reviewed 2023)
Frequently asked about Sancerre Les Chasseignes
What does Riffault Les Chasseignes taste like?
Yellow apple, white peach, fine spice and chalk on the nose; lemon zest, stone fruit, creamy lees and saline mineral on the palate. Medium-bodied with high acidity and a long, layered finish.
When should I drink Les Chasseignes?
Drink between 2 and 12 years from vintage. The demi-muid lees ageing gives the wine textural depth that rewards 3 to 5 years in bottle.
Where is Les Chasseignes grown?
On calcaire lité (layered limestone) parcels in Sury-en-Vaux, biodynamically farmed since the early 2010s.
Is Riffault Les Chasseignes vegan?
Yes. The estate is biodynamic and uses no animal-derived fining agents.