Our vineyards are spread over some 30 hectares, and include nearly 80 plots in the Sablet and Gigondas appellation areas. Our grape varieties are traditional Southern Rhône, predominantly Grenache Noir, with complementary varieties such as Syrah, Mourvèdre, Counoise, Cinsault and Carignan. We also have a high proportion of white grape varieties: Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne.
The range includes classic wines such as Sablet Rouge, Sablet Blanc and Gigondas. But our differentiation lies in our parcel-based red and white cuvées. Above all, we seek to best reflect our highly fragmented vineyard, and to highlight one or more grape varieties on a specific terroir. Our best-known parcel is undoubtedly the 'Ténébi' cuvée: a wine made from old Counoise vines planted in 1953 by Marc Autran.
We grow, vinify and sell our entire production. We are fortunate to still be able to use the winery built by our grandfather, Alphonse Vautour, who was Marc Autran's maternal grandfather. He built this cellar in 1947, at the end of his life, so that his children could benefit from a suitable production tool. Very well built and above all well thought-out, we continue to use it today, particularly during the harvest.
At harvest time, our grapes are hand-picked and carefully sorted on the vine. Once at the winery, our vinification methods vary according to the cuvée: either we choose to destem the grapes, or we decide to vinify them in whole bunches and without crushing. Vatting times also vary according to the wines we want to make, from one week to four weeks. We try to control fermentation temperatures as much as possible to avoid over-extraction and preserve fruitiness and finesse.
Most of our red wines are aged in concrete tanks: between 12 and 18 months for Côtes-du-Rhône, and between 18 and 24 months for Sablet. Our prestige cuvée Les Briguières is aged in demi muids (600-liter barrels). We use oak foudres for our Gigondas. The whites are vinified in barrels of 2 to 15 wines, aged on lees and bottled in early summer to retain freshness and primary aromas.
Filtration is carried out on a case-by-case basis, depending on the wine and the vintage. We don't follow any rules; we listen, analyze and try to adapt as best we can.