When Alphonse Vautour, founder of Domaine de Piaugier, grew tired of trekking from his winery, down the steep hillsides south of Sablet, to sell his wine to merchants, he decided to build his new cellar at the base of that hill, right off the road to the village. It's in that same cellar that his great-grandson, Jean-Marc Autran, produces Gigondas of unmatched quality and elegance. Jean-Marc tames the sometimes overpowering characteristics of the dominant Grenache grape and elevates the Mourvedre and Syrah in the blend. Vinified in concrete and aged in old barrique, Autran's Gigondas has supple, dark red fruits and a subtle smokiness that lends itself perfectly to grilled game meats. A classic indeed.
