2019 Domaine de Piaugier Côtes-du-Rhone Villages-Sablet Blanc 750 ml

Textured, rich, and complex, the 2019 Domaine de Piaugier wowed us from the first sip, delivering the elegance and power we expect from Chardonnays and white blends twice the price. Grown in a little-known hamlet a stone’s throw from Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s hallowed terroir, this is a dynamite value that will have your guests thinking you shelled out big bucks. 

West coast Chardonnay lovers will go wild for this wine’s texture and power, but its freshness and minerality mean that even white-Burgundy lovers will find something to adore here—it’s a complete package.

This is a ringer for a much more expensive Châteauneuf Blanc, and if they were in a ritzier neighborhood, there’s no doubt that Piaugier would be a legend already. But Sablet remains just far enough away from Châteauneuf that it’s still possible to find real hidden gems.

Domaine Piaugier crafts their Sablet Blanc from a blend of Roussanne, Clairette, Viognier and Grenache Blanc, which give the wine power, acidity, floral aromatics and orchard fruit, respectively. Fermented with native yeasts and aged in used barrels for eight months before bottling, this wine shows all the hallmarks of much more expensive wines because it’s made by the same methods. 

If it hailed from farther south in the Rhône, this wine would likely be twice as expensive (or more!). We put in the miles off the beaten path because we love wines like this—bottles that aren’t on the radar of most wine lovers. But now it’s on yours.