Domaine de Piaugier, Côtes du Rhône Villages Sablet Blanc 2024

45% Grenache Blanc, 35% Viognier, 12% Roussanne, 8% Marsanne Cotes du Rhone, Rhone, France The 2024 vintage faced difficult weather, including excessive spring rain and heavy downy mildew pressure. The summer was mostly dry and windy, but the clay-sandy and sandy-silt soils retained spring water reserves to mitigate the drought. Cool, windy harvest conditions led to later ripening, bringing depth and balance. The wines show great harmony between freshness and texture with a promising roundness. The 2024 harvest stands out as intense, structured, and age-worthy. Sourced from 12.5 hectares of vines within the Sablet appellation from vines 25 years in age. Soils of clay with limestone and sand. Farmed using organic methods and grapes are harvested by hand. Grapes are destemmed and fermented in barriques of various ages using natural yeasts. Aged in barrel on the lees for 12 months with batonnage. Sablet Blanc will go well with Spring pies (asparagus and goat cheese), or a sute of poulty with mushroom cream. In winter, the Sablet Blanc will refresh your taste buds with a stew of foie gras from the Landes region. Fourth-generation Jean-Marc Autran took over the winery from his father Marc in 1985. Today, he works alongside his wife Sophie and their daughter Maude, farming 3.5 hectares within the Gigondas AOC, 12.5 hectares in the Sablet AOC, and 14 hectares of Côtes-du-Rhône vineyards. "Rigor, respect, and patience" is the Piagier mantra in the vineyards and cellar. After years of farming organically, Domaine de Piaugier earned certification through ECOCERT. One of the great advantages of the domaine is that it is split into many small areas located on different soil types: clay with limestone and sand, clay with chalk, and sand and gravel soils. The village name of Sablet actually refers to "sable", which means "sand" in French. A further advantage is that the vines themselves, which are 35 – 60 years old, are reaching their prime. Vines are planted at 4,000 plants per hectare and close attention is paid to yields with an average of 40 hl/ha, well below the standard in the region. The grapes are hand-harvested, parcel by parcel, which lends each wine its own specific character, each one different from the next. Jean-Marc's gentle touch and gift with blending translate to a more elegant, restrained style. Fruit and freshness are always the aim, even in warmer years. With Maude Autran firmly in place alongside her parents, it is clear that the next generation will uphold the Piaugier tradition of ethically farmed and passionately produced Southern Rhône wines that are vibrant, elegant, and among the region's greatest values.