Welcome back old friend! The label may look different, but this is definitely Piaugier's sensational Sablet, one of the great Southern Rhone values I've ever tasted.
From old, organically-farmed vines in the village of Sablet, just north of Gigondas, this is a pure and fantastic taste of the Southern Rhone. Brimming with ripe yet fresh notes of brambly raspberry, ripe cherry, peppery spice, and Provencal herbs, it always tastes like a Gigondas with more elegance and silkiness, and at half the price!
Buy a Solid Six-Pack or More: $17.99/bottle and over 25% off!
Anything less, and it's $21.99/bottle ($24.99 regular price).
So what's up with the new labels? The Autran family (Jean-Marc, Sophie, and their daughter Maude) also make the Piaugier wines, but our North Carolina supplier had some issues with their US-based importer. Instead of finding a new Cotes du Rhone producer, they contacted the family and asked if they would bottle a wine for them with a new label. The family agreed, and it's great to have their wines back in the shop!
Sablet is one of the "elevated" Cotes du Rhone villages that allows producers to include the name of the village on the label, a la Gigondas, Vacqueyras, et al. Known for its sandy soils, which impart a vibrant elegance and pretty perfume to the wines, a good bottle of Sablet is a lot like Gigondas in terms of aroma and flavor, it's just less tannic and more ready to drink upon release.
That's exactly what you get with the Autran's Sablet, and it comes from a wonderful year in the Southern Rhone. Wine Spectator rated the 2022 vintage at 95 points, characterizing it as a "ripe, powerful vintage with some gorgeous wines," going on to describe the reds as "lush, richly styled, silky, and balanced." Yep, all of that is alive and well in this amazing value.
A blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah, from 50+ year-old, organically farmed vines, this is brought up with the same TLC that the best Gigondas' and Chateauneufs get. No chemicals, hand harvesting and sorting, native yeasts, minimal fining, filtration, or sulfur additions, all measures that allow Sablet's unique terroir to shine through.
I have said it many times, and I’ll say it again, this is my pick for the greatest Southern Rhone value....period. I highly recommend you get a six-pack and save big!
Just $17.99/bottle and over 25% off if you get a solid six-pack or $21.99/bottle if you want to take one for a "test drink."
Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville
