Domaine de Piaugier

84110 Sablet

France

Jean-Marc Autran with Christophe in the vineyard surrounding the cellar.

Overview

Domaine de Piaugier, a 30ha property, is situated in and around the village of Sablet, which stands proudly at the feet of the jagged Dentelles de Montmirail in the Provence des Papes. Sablet rests between the villages of Séguret and Gigondas and, as its name implies, is built on sandstone.

The domaine has two great advantages. First, it is composed of a large number of small plots and therefore various soils, including sandy decalcified red clay, flint, clay, silt, chalk and gravel. The second advantage is the age of the vines - as they are between 20 and 45 years old, they are in their full, rich, plentiful prime.

Here is how the estate is divided:

* Cotes-du-Rhone 14ha

* Sablet Cotes-du-Rhone Villages 12.5ha

* Gigondas 3.5ha.

History

An overview of the vineyards of the region of Sablet, Gigondas and Beaume-de-Venise, with the Dentelles de Montmirail in the background.

Taken during a propeller plane excursion!

If the wine growing history in the Gigondas area probably dates from the Roman times, it was the religious Houses that, from the 12th Century, occupied themselves with expanding vine cultivation. Later, and right up to the 18th Century, Gigondas came within the Principality of Orange was owned by the Rhénane de Nassau family up until it was annexed by Louis XIV.

The local Gigondas Appellation was awarded by decree as early as 1971.

The Sablet vineyards were first developed under the aegis of the Counts of Toulouse to whom the property once belonged. In the 14th Century, this wine making activity was confirmed by the Avignon Popes under whose control the region had by then passed.

Sablet was awarded the classification Côtes du Rhône Villages Sablet in 1974.

Jean-Marc Autran, son, grandson, and great-grandson of wine growers, produced his first wine in 1985 in the cellars built by his great-grandfather, Alphonse Vautour, in 1947.

Alphonse, who along the slopes of the Briguières hill had made all his wine in the family's original property called Ténébi, decided to build the present cave on the side of the road leading up to the Ténébi.

Supported by his father, Jean-Marc increased the size of the domaine and developed the sale of bottled wine. Soon the cave was too small, and Jean-Marc decided to enlarge once again in 1995.

Along with his wife Sophie, Jean-Marc now cultivates 30 hectares of vines.

Terroirs

An overview of the highly diversified terroirs of Sablet.

Sablet and Gigondas share the same dry, hot Southern climate with 2,800 hours of sunshine per year. The prevailing wind is the Mistral.

On the other hand, the soil types vary greatly from one appellation to the other, and even within the villages themselves - as you can see from the illustration above.

In Sablet, the soils tend to be sandy decalcified red clay, along with gravel and shingle and red sandstone areas.

In Gigondas, you encounter primarily stony red clay alluvium on the slopes and wide terraces.

Cepages, or grape varieties

Domaine de Piaugier enjoys a wide spectrum of grape varieties, albeit with a higher than usual proportion of Mourvedre, which often allow Jean-Marc's wines to develop remarkably over time.

Total for red varieties: 28.2 ha

Grenache          65%

Mourvedre       10%

Syrah               10%

Carignan             5%

Cinsault              5%

Counoise            5%

Grenache, the main grape variety, offers fruitiness, warmth and body. Syrah and Mourvèdre donate a hint of spices, as well as depth of colour and strength to the wine enabling it to age well. Cinsault is the bearer of finesse.

Total for white varieties: 1.8 ha

Grenache          30%

Roussanne        30%

Viognier           30%

Clairette           10%

The average age of the vines is around 35 years, with over 50 years  for the vines used for the Cuvee Les Briguieres.

Yield averages 40 hl/ha.

The human factor

Jean-Marc in his cellar.

The grapes are entirely hand-harvested, pressed and made into wine plot by plot which safeguards their distinct and separate characteristics.

Grapes are planted with a density of 4,000 plants per hectare. The pruning is always true to the traditional royat or gobelets methods.

The wines are made from whole bunches. Leaves are removed but the bunches are not destemmed. The fermentation lasts from a week for the Côtes du Rhône to a month for the Sablet and Gigondas. The fermentation temperatures are strictly controlled, depending on the cuvee, at between 28 and 30 degrees Celsius.

The bottling of the red wines is done once only and, with the exception of the Côtes du Rhône, is not subject to fining or filtration.

The wines

An example of the label - here the Cuvee Montmartel

White wine

Sablet Côtes du Rhône Villages Blanc: Made with fairly equal parts of Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Viognier and Roussanne from sand, clay and silt-based vineyards. 30 year old vineyards with an approximate yield of 35 hl/ha. Made with indigenous yeasts, barrel fermented and aged 8 months in barrels that have previously held two wines, with lees stirring once a week.

Rose wine

Sablet Côtes du Rhône Villages Rose: Made from equal parts of Syrah and Cinsault, from 30 year old vines, with an approximate yield of 35 hl/ha. Made by "saignee directe", barrel fermented and aged in barrels that have previously held two wines, with regular lees stirring.

Red wines

La Grange de Piaugier Côtes du Rhône: A Rhone field-blend, with primarily Grenache, then Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Carignan from argile limono-sableuse soils. 20 year old vines with a 50 hl/ha yield. Aged in cement tank, with a 7-day fermentation period.

Sablet Côtes du Rhône Villages: 75% Grenache and 25% Syrah, from sand, clay and silt soil. 25 year old vines with a 40 hl/ha yield. 21-day fermentation period, with the Grenache in cement tank and the Syrah in 3/4 year-old barrels.

Gigondas: 65% Grenache, 25% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah grown on clay with silt and sand soil. 40-year-old vines with a yield of 35 hl /ha. Four 28 day fermentation (at a higher temperature) in cement tank with no destemming: 20% of the wine is aged in barrel during two winters, then blended with the tank blend and bottled in the Spring without filtration.

In addition, Jean-Marc makes Cuvees Speciales, with the aim to showcase the diversity of the terroirs and the grape varieties within the Sablet appellation:

Sablet Ténébi: 100% Counoise, from clay, sand and silt based-soil. 40-year-old vines with a 40 hl /ha yield. 28 day fermentation period in cement tank, with no destemming. Matured in barrel during two winters, and bottled in the Spring without filtration.

Sablet Montmartel: 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre grown on sandy soils. 40-year-old vines with a yield of 40 hl /ha. 28 day fermentation period in cement tank without destemming. 20% of the wine matured in barrel during two winters, then blended and bottled in the Spring without filtration.

Sablet Les Briguieres: 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre grown on clay and sand based soil. 50-year-old vines with a 40 hl /ha yield. 1 month fermentation period in cement tank, with no destemming. Matured partly in barrel and partly in cement tank during two winters, and bottled in the Spring without filtration.

Sablet Alphonse Vautour: 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre grown on sandy soils. 40-year-old vines with a yield of 40 hl /ha. 28 day fermentation period in cement tank without destemming. Wine matured in new oak barrel for 50% and in one-wine barrel for the other half, then blended and bottled without filtration.

Sablet Reserve de Maude: 100% Syrah, from clay, sand and silt based-soil. 40-year-old vines with a 40 hl /ha yield. 28 day fermentation period in cement tank, with no destemming. Matured in 100% new oak barrel during two years, and bottled without filtration.

Distribution

About 60% of the production is currently exported, with the UK and the USs main destinations. The balance is sold by Sophie at the estate itself (Sablet is in the heart of the fantastic Provence des Papes that each year attracts more and more tourists!) and to distributors and restaurants in France.

In the news...

"Perhaps the emerging star of Sablet is Domaine de Piaugier, an estate that also makes fine Gigondas under the inspired youthful enthusiasm Jean-Marc Autran. This estate garners considerable praise from the French press, all of which is justified. The wines are well made, pure, ripe, and capable of lasting 5-7 years…"

Robert Parker

“Ce domaine familial tenu par un jeune vigneron doue et perfectionniste, Jean-Marc Autran, est situ a Sablet sur des terroirs de coteaux maigres et escarpes... Il propose trois selections de parcelles surprenantes de concentration et de finesse aromatique... Les deux cuvees de Sablet 2003 sont au sommet, avec une bouche de toute beaute, riche et moelleuse."

La Revue du Vin de France, Classement des meilleurs vins de France 2006

For more information...

The site of the winery is currently under development. For an excellent overview of the wines of the Cotes-du-Rhone region, please visit www.vins-rhone.com.