When Alphonse Vautour planted six hectares of vines around his little winery up in Les Briguières in 1905, he might have been amused to know that he was working on a geological anomaly. The experts are still wondering about the source of the soils in that spot which is tucked under the forest on the ridge to the east of the village.

As the winery was too remote, in 1949 Vautour moved his operations down to the centre of the village next to the Post Office. This is where his great-great-grandson, Jean-Marc Autran now runs the Domaine de Piaugier with his wife Sophie. The two generations in between bought up vines in most parts of Sablet and in Gigondas, from which they produced bulk wine.

Jean-Marc and Sophie took over full responsibility for the estate in 1985, bought more vines, and immediately started bottling their own production. At the start, their traditionally-made wine was a tad rustic. But by micro-oxygenating during fermentation and de-stemming the grapes they find that their reds have gained in finesse. Critics and customers agree. 

Otherwise, the approach is traditional. The grapes are hand-picked, indigenous yeast is used in fermentation and nearly all the wines are bottled without filtration.

Their wines are available direct from the winery, from the Sablet caveau and in restaurants in various countries. 50% of their production is exported, notably to the US, Germany and Belgium

They also have three self-contained gites for rental.

Marie and Patrick Foglia have just bottled their third vintage. They run a large company from Avignon that trains teachers all over France. Patrick, who has been intrigued for many years by the idea of working the land, now spends his time in the vines when he is not running around the country.

The Domaine Cheval Long existed already, although it didn't sell any wine.  Its owner, a rich industrialist from Lyons, gave it all to clients and staff.

They have only 5 ha of vines, on either side of the forest-clad Cheval Long ridge up behind Sablet.  These are the highest vines in the village, which is why he calls one of his bottlings the Eagle's Nest. The vines facing east, near the house, are mainly old Grenache, 18-year old Shiraz and newly planted Viognier. On the other side of the ridge, a plot called Les Constants was planted to Shiraz 15 years ago. The soils derive from the erosion of the limestone Dentelles de Montmirail, and on the surface are sandy with small stones. The estate shares winery facilities in the village of Jonquieres, but the Foglias are planning their own facility closer to their vines.

The estate is organic and is in the throes of certification. Patrick believes that the vines are protected by having forest around them. Unlike many newcomers, they are not fans of oak, and their wines are not aged in barrels. They want to create a brand which provides consumers with a quality assurance, year after year, even if it means withdrawing wine from the market in difficult years. He has "plenty of time and doesn't want to rush it".

"I had the baby blues"

Although the harvest is small this year, quality is terrific. Patrick says: "After we finished the harvest and the vines were bare, I had the blues for a week, just like the baby blues, I guess."

As well as a rosé, they produce two reds: a classic Cotes du Rhone Sablet (the Eagle's Nest) of 80% Grenache and 20% Shiraz, and a "Prestige" of 100% Shiraz. You can buy their wine at the Caveau in the centre of Sablet, or via Internet.

Over a foot (30 cms) of snow fell on Sablet on Friday. No-one here has seen snow like it since 1971. That winter the mistral swept it all away quickly. This time the weather has stayed calm and the vineyards are still well covered.

Now, after three days, the sun has come out in northern provence. The roads are sheer madness. The vines are deserted. Who wants to prune when standing up to their knees in snow?