The Stony, Soulful Wines of the Plateau des Garrigues
A Featured Collection from the Classics Sale!
by Tom Wolf
Take 20% OFF wines in the collection below, now through the end of the month.
Click to apply this promo code to your order
Click to apply: CLASSICS2025 Valid through Monday, August 4thPromo code terms
Standing on the miles-long, high-elevation Plateau des Garrigues in Vacqueyras, strewn with galets roulés as far as the eye can see, you can’t help but feel exposed to all the elements northern Provence’s intense climate could throw your way. With few trees dotting this arid expanse, shelter is scarce. But, before you can worry about getting caught in a hailstorm or swept away by the mistral, or baking between the sun’s rays and the warmth radiated back up by the gleaming galets, the lean, muscular, and sage-but-playful Serge Férigoule cracks a joke. “When the winds blow through here, you lean down, pick up a few of these,” he says, pointing to the region’s iconic stones, “and put them in your pockets. They’ll anchor you down, so you don’t get blown away.” It takes me a second to understand, because in Serge’s mile-a-minute French, coated in a thick southern twang, I think I hear him say “vin” but then realize that, of course, he’s talking about “les vents”—the winds—which are so notorious in this part of France that many Provençal nativity scenes feature a shepherd holding on tight to his hat so the mistral doesn’t blow it away.
Almost all of Serge and his son Frédéri’s seventeen hectares stretch out across this plateau, where Vacqueyras’s best vines are planted, and both their wines and their winemaking reflect the heightened conditions of this place. The reds are deep, stony, and soulful, showing a vividness and concentration that come from the plateau’s dryness and the warmth of the sun and galets. But their wines possess remarkable freshness that also reflects this land, albeit in a more indirect way.
When it rains here, the soil drains well and the mistral wicks any remaining moisture away, which lowers disease pressure. Because of this terroir advantage—and because Serge is such a thoughtful vigneron—he started farming organically when he created Le Sang des Cailloux in the early ’90s, and biodynamically ten years after that, making the domaine an early leader in progressive farming not only in Vacqueyras, but in all of France and beyond. Accordingly, the family’s vines have flourished for decades. When you combine this plant health with the Férigoules’ relatively early harvesting and creativity in the cellar, it’s no surprise as to why their lone blanc and two rouges are so graceful and vibrant. Pound for pound, these are some of the most expressive and honest wines in the south of France.
The Stony, Soulful Wines of the Plateau des Garrigues
A Featured Collection from the Classics Sale!
by Tom Wolf
The Férigoules’ Lopy vineyard
© Jimmy Hayes
Serge and his son Frédéri
© Jimmy Hayes
The galet roulés of the Souther Rhône
© Jimmy Hayes
Serge and Frédéri in the cellar
© Jimmy Hayes
The reds are deep, stony, and soulful, showing a vividness and concentration that come from the plateau’s dryness and the warmth of the sun and galets. But their wines possess remarkable freshness that also reflects this land, albeit in a more indirect way.
Take 20% OFF wines in the collection below, now through the end of the month.
Click to apply this promo code to your order
Click to apply: CLASSICS2025 Valid through Monday, August 4thPromo code terms
Wines In The Collection
Domaine Le Sang des Cailloux France | Southern Rhône
** New Wine Added **The flavors are mostly deep and dark—stones, licorice, black olive, and blackberry—but the frame is lithe.
Domaine Le Sang des Cailloux France | Southern Rhône
** New Wine Added **Stony and smoky, and full of garrigue and black cherry, it is an epic wine that opens up wonderfully now.
Domaine Le Sang des Cailloux France | Southern Rhône
** New Wine Added **A relatively rare beast, Serge’s blanc is a ripe, honey-infused cornucopia of fruit.
France | Southern Rhône
** New Wine Added **The flavors are mostly deep and dark—stones, licorice, black olive, and blackberry—but the frame is lithe.
France | Southern Rhône
** New Wine Added **Stony and smoky, and full of garrigue and black cherry, it is an epic wine that opens up wonderfully now.
France | Southern Rhône
** New Wine Added **A relatively rare beast, Serge’s blanc is a ripe, honey-infused cornucopia of fruit.
More Collections
Classics Sale!
Now through August 4th, take 20% off the dozens of selections below, from regions we’ve traveled to and imported for decades: Burgundy, Provence, Tuscany, Piedmont, and more!
Spotlight on Domaine Hauvette
Not far from Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, a tourist town known for Roman ruins and as the place where Van Gogh painted “The Starry Night,” you’ll find Domaine Hauvette…
Discover Dolcetto
Dolcetto is the most versatile, most affordable, and perhaps the most delightful red to come out of Piemonte. While often praised for its simplicity—Dolcetto is undeniably fruit-driven, approachable, and unfussy—we tend to overlook that it, too, is a worthy ambassador of the terroir in which it grows…
A Burgundian Approach to Chinon
The domaine has clung to the values that made Joguet a Loire legend: adapting every vinification to each parcel’s vine age and unique terroir; maintaining traditional methods of farming, winemaking, and élevage with a focus on sustainability and low intervention; and crafting top-level Cabernet Francs capable of sparring with the finest reds from anywhere in France…
A Visit to Punta Crena
For years, I’ve been dying to take my husband on an Italian adventure. I wanted to fully immerse ourselves in the culture, eat the food, see vineyards, and experience all of the things that I love about Italy. This spring, I finally settled on Piemonte and Liguria, and from the beginning, I knew I wanted to visit our only producer along the Ligurian coast: Punta Crena…
Colleleva
Le Marche may well be Italy’s most underrated region. Featuring striking landscapes from mountains down to the Adriatic Sea, countless quaint villages largely ignored by tourists, and an irresistible local cuisine, it is a hidden treasure oozing with charm and authenticity…
This Just In!
The old winemaking adage says that you only have one shot each year to get the vintage right. While this idea may be daunting to a vigneron, we see things a bit differently: one vintage per year means that we are always looking forward to a new batch of wines from all our favorite producers…
Snack of the Summer
A curated collection of thirst-quenching Mediterranean rosés to complement panisses & all manner of al fresco summer snacking.
New Arrivals
Here is a collection of recent arrivals. Every week, we’ll be adding a dozen or more new arrivals, so check back often for your favorite classics or new discoveries!
The Carpe Vinum Collection
An ever-changing offering of wines that are just about to sell out; one last opportunity to seize a range of selections before they disappear from our shelves forever.
50th Anniversary Merchandise
When the esteemed French wine artist Michel Tolmer created beautiful artwork for our 50th anniversary, we knew right away that we had to feature it on a few select items of merch. After spending maybe a little too much time researching the options, we landed on a classy, leather-strap cap, a comfortable t-shirt made from 100% cotton, and a tote made with incredibly sturdy, fair-trade, and organic cotton by a certified B corp that invests in the livelihoods of women and farmers of India, featuring three wine sleeves and two other compartments for all of your other needs!
Recent Wine Club Selections
Our five wine clubs feature our best values from France and Italy as well as complex and cellar-worthy wines.