2023 Sancerre, Chasseignes, Claude Riffault
'A really classy example that is so ready to go.'
There's not a hair out of place here.
Rebecca Gibb MW, vinous.com, August 2025
2023 Sancerre, Chasseignes, Claude Riffault
£180 per 6 bottle case in bond
I believe Claude Riffault has become one of the most compelling names in Sancerre. Indeed, when we revisited the domaine's 2022 releases, we described Stéphane Riffault as a winemaker of exceptional talent and concluded that ‘Sancerre doesn’t get much better than this’. That assessment was reinforced by David Schildknecht's view that the estate is now ‘one of the five or six most exciting estates in the Sancerre appellation’, while Rebecca Gibb MW has described Claude Riffault as ‘a shining star in Sancerre’.
I drink a good few bottles of Sancerre, and I think at £180 per 6 bottle case in bond, the Riffault single terroir wines are worth every penny. Here we are offering the 2023 Sancerre, Chasseignes, Claude Riffault at £180 per 6 bottle case in bond.
Based in Sury-en-Vaux, some five kilometres from the town of Sancerre itself, the domaine farms around 13 hectares spread across more than 30 individual parcels. Biodynamic certification was confirmed in 2017 and Stéphane's meticulous approach in both vineyard and cellar has transformed the estate's reputation over the last decade. Each parcel is vinified separately, allowing subtle differences in soil and exposition to shine through, and the resulting wines consistently impress for their purity, energy and precision. As we noted previously, they have a remarkable sense of tension and definition, with a chiselled quality that sets them apart from many richer or more obviously varietal examples of Sauvignon Blanc, and notably so in warmer vintages.
The 2023 vintage proved considerably more generous than the small and challenging 2021 vintage and more immediately approachable than 2022. Warm conditions through much of the growing season delivered healthy fruit and ample ripeness, yet the best producers retained freshness and balance. Riffault's careful farming and the naturally cool, limestone-driven terroirs of Sury-en-Vaux have produced wines that capture the charm of the vintage without sacrificing the tension and minerality that make great Sancerre so compelling.
Les Chasseignes is sourced from a vineyard characterised by classic caillottes soils — shallow, stony limestone which tends to produce some of the most finely etched and energetic wines in the appellation. It is a terroir that suits Riffault's philosophy perfectly, yielding a wine of both immediacy and precision. Rebecca Gibb MW reviewed it on vinous.com in August 2025, but I have included my note from today alongside it.
2023 Sancerre, Chasseignes, Claude Riffault
£180 per 6 bottle case in bond
My note from today:
While 2023 was clearly a warmer year with less natural tension than 2022, Riffault has done an exceptional job in delivering an open, ripe Sancerre, that doesn’t lose its identity or sense of classicism. By that I mean the tension here is such that it isn’t overly ripe, or heady, instead remaining mouthwatering. Offering mineral nuanced citrus fruit, lemon, scented herbs and a stoney texture – the warmer vintage has lent it a generosity and a roundness, that mean it drinks beautifully now…..The finish is long, lively with a twist of kiwi fruit. A really classy example that is so ready to go. Immediately appealing. (SL) now-2030
92 points, Rebecca Gibb MW, vinous.com (August 2025)
The 2023 Chasseignes is already a delight to drink. There's no need to wait: it offers a warm welcome with a round and immediately charming entrance before tightening up as it moves through the mouth. There’s a belt of tension giving precision on the medium-long finish. This has ripe, pure fruit reminiscent of lemon and honey tea with chamomile. There's not a hair out of place here. Drink: 2025-2031