Domaine de Piaugier Cotes du Rhone Villages Sablet 2022 (Southern Rhone, France) - [DM 92] [JS 91]

Domaine de Piaugier Cotes du Rhone Villages Sablet 2022
(Southern Rhone, France) - [DM 92] [JS 91]


$30.00 $19.97 Save $10.03
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DM92 JS91
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About the Winery:

Domaine de Piaugier’s vineyards are located in and around the village at the foot of the jagged Dentelles de Montmirail in the Vaucluse department. Here Jean-Marc Autran, son, grandson and great-grandson of wine growers, produced his first wine in 1985. It was made in the cellars built in 1947 by his great-grandfather Alphonse Vautour. 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 road leading up to that property.
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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 as follows: 3.5 hectares of Gigondas, 12.5 hectares of Sablet, and 14 hectares of Côtes du Rhône.
The domaine has two great advantages: 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; and the vines—at between 25 and 50 years old—are in their full, rich, plentiful prime. The grapes are entirely hand-harvested, pressed and made into wine plot-by-plot. This safeguards their distinct and separate characteristics. The dominant grape is Grenache. Others include Syrah, Counoise, Cinsault, and Carignan, each 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. Temperatures are strictly controlled, depending on the cuvée, at between 28 and 33 degrees Celsius.
About the Wine:
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- to 4-year old barrels. The wine is replete with black fruits and pepper and has a pleasant smoothness on the palate and finish that belies its underlying rusticity. Would be great with pork stew or jambalaya.

Ratings & Reviews:

92 Points - Decanter Media: 
"Raspberry, redcurrant and wild strawberry - really open and fragrant. Very fine tannins and juicy, bright, raspberry acidity. A really delightful brisk and thirst-quenching southern Rhône for early drinking. Enjoyably dry, cleansing finish. Sand and clay limestone soils, handpicked, destemmed. Fermented then matured for 18 months in concrete tanks." - Matt Walls (Feb 2024)

91 Points - James Suckling: 
"This is a juicy, vivid and crunchy red with notes of cherries, Mediterranean herbs, roasted meat and some baking spices. Medium-bodied with fine tannins. Well balanced and velvety, with plenty of energy at the center. Juicy berries with a lively finish. Bright and succulent. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold." (Jul 2024)