The Family
From Alphonse's cellar to our estate today
Long before us, Alphonse Vautour, Jean-Marc Autran's great-grandfather, was already making wine on a small hill known as Les Briguières, nestled in the heart of the Dentelles de Montmirail. He farmed six hectares of vineyards and vinified his wines in a small cellar called Ténébi, named after the former owner of the house.
In those days, selling wine depended entirely on the arrival of travelling wine merchants. Alphonse would lead his mule down the winding hillside tracks, carrying barrels in the hope of finding a buyer. If the merchant failed to arrive—or simply refused the wine—he had no choice but to climb back up the hill with his load.
This demanding way of life shaped the estate's future. In 1947, Alphonse built a new cellar at the foot of the hill, alongside the road, making it far easier to receive merchants and handle the harvest. That building still stands today and remains our winery for vinification.
A New Chapter Begins in 1985
Several decades later, in 1985, Jean-Marc Autran, Alphonse's great-grandson, took over the estate alongside his father, Marc, and his uncle, Jean-Paul. At the beginning of the 1990s, Sophie joined Jean-Marc, marking the start of a new chapter for the family.
Together, we undertook a profound transformation of the estate: restructuring the vineyards, expanding our estate bottling, and gradually shaping the identity of our wines.
Before long, the historic cellar could no longer support our ambitions. In 1995, we built a new winery designed as a true working tool, entirely dedicated to the craft of winemaking. With its underground ageing cellar, it provides ideal conditions for élevage, allowing us to refine every stage of the process and give our wines the time and environment they need to reveal their full character and elegance.
Looking to the Future
Today, Maude has joined the estate, continuing the family's story with fresh energy and a shared commitment to quality. Together, we continue to evolve the domaine with the same respect for its heritage while embracing new ideas, greater precision and wines that resonate with a new generation.
We know that the next chapter is already taking shape. As the estate grows, our cellar will soon need to expand once again. This will allow Maude to bring her own projects to life, including further development of barrel-fermented and barrel-aged white wines, while also giving our wines the opportunity to mature for even longer before release.
