Sablet: The Rhône Village You Should Be Buying
The 2024 Domaine de Piaugier Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Sablet is exactly the kind of bottle I want to have around right now. It has the warmth and generosity we expect from the Southern Rhône, but it is far more interesting than the price would suggest. I’m offered what seems like an endless glut of Cotes du Rhone, and few make my ears perk up when I taste them. This one did.
Sablet is one of the named villages within the Côtes-du-Rhône Villages appellation, tucked into the Dentelles de Montmirail in the northern part of the Southern Rhône. The vineyards sit at elevation, and that matters here in the Mediterranean heat: the combination of cooler air, limestone-rich soils, and the rugged terrain gives the wines a little more freshness than you often find farther south.
Domaine de Piaugier is a family domaine with deep roots in the area, and their wines are classic Southern Rhône. The 2024 shows the house style beautifully—ripe and full of Garrigue without being rustic, and packed with Rhône character.
Expect blackberry, raspberry, black cherry, cracked pepper, garrigue, and a little violet, with the savory quality of the Southern Rhône running underneath it all. The fruit is generous, but there is enough acidity and tannic grip to keep the wine moving. And this is where the wine really makes sense: Sablet gives you a tremendous amount of appellation character without the price inflation attached to Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, or Vacqueyras. You are getting a proper village wine from a serious estate, from one of the Rhône’s best-known terroirs, without paying through the nose for it.
A terrific bottle for the money, and an even better case buy.
91 Points, James Suckling
A textural, generously fruited wine with aromas of red berries, dried herbs and fresh flowers. Medium-bodied with fine tannins. Crushed berries on the palate with a lift of herbs and spices toward the flavorful finish. Drink or hold.