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Black Tie
International Magazine Travel
Winter, Wine and Food on the Rhone |
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Daniel Brunier
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Winter, Wine and Food on the Rhone
By Jesse Nash and Barney Lehrer
Welcome to winter in the southern Rhône Valley. Yes,
it’s the south of France, but don’t count on warm
weather. It can be cold: sometimes freezing or
below. It can be windy: the infamous Mistral winds
can gust up to 50 mph and last up to ten days. Yet
despite—in fact because of--the mercurial weather,
for wine lovers and foodies, winter can actually be
the best time to visit.
The winemakers are not too busy and have time to
chat, and the best restaurants are eager to welcome
you, as they are not packed with tourists AND it’s
truffle hunting season. In addition, if you’re
lucky, you’ll enjoy at least a few brilliantly sunny
days with 60-degree temperatures, days when you can
eat outside as you savor a glass of Rhône wine.
Le Pré Grourmand
We arrive on a warm Tuesday afternoon in late
January and spend a few nights in a comfortable
vacation rental overlooking the Rhône river, in the
ancient town of Beaucaire
www.mybeaucaire.com . Our first stop after
settling in is Le Pré Gourmand
www.lepregourmand.net (or “field for
foodies,” in our rough translation), owned by the
couple Christine Fare & Patrick Léonce. A lovely
modern building in the midst of a field in the tiny
village of Eyragues — originally the Fare family
farm — the restaurant offers seasonal menus made
from
local products.
Patrick, the masterful chef, enthusiastically
explains how he chooses different local olive oils
for each dish. His eyes widen as together we taste
an oil used for salads and then another for deserts.
This is French country cooking as it should be.
Homemade foie gras, touro filets (popular in this
part of Provence where summer days are full of
bullfights and other bull events) are lightly cooked
and tender.
Gigondas
We start our wine adventure the next day, as we
drive to the famous wine village of Gigondas,
nestled half-way up one of the Dentelles, a chain of
low mountains. To us they look like a set of jagged
teeth and we assumed that this is the meaning of the
name. But the French are more poetic than we;
“dentelle” actually means lace. Perhaps they evoke a
many-pointed lace collar?
American-born Anthony Taylor greets us in the
tasting room of Gabriel Meffre
www.gabrielmeffre.com , one of the oldest and
largest wine producers in the region. Anthony was
born in “Joisy,” as he likes to say, but he grew up
in France and Monaco. He has been drinking wine
since he was a small boy, and has spent his career
in the wine business, including an eight-year stint
as wine director at the historic 21 Club in New
York. Now he’s in charge of marketing the Louis
Bernard line of wines
www.louis-bernard.com/en an old line of
wines bought by the Meffre company in 2009. And this
man really knows his wine! Anthony tastes hundreds
of wine very week and has an uncanny ability to both
identify them and explain them in simple, vivid
terms.
As we discovered, the Gabriel Meffre tasting room is
the place to sample Louis Bernard, Gabriel Meffre
and Le Long Toque wines from throughout the southern
Rhône region. It’s a perfect starting point for an
education in the full range of southern
Rhône wines.
Unlike Bordeaux and Burgundy, with their Grand Cru,
Premier Cru, Second Growths, etc. the Rhône Valley
wines are classified in five categories:
1. Vin de Pays: wines made using grapes not allowed
to have a Rhône appellation.
2. Côtes du Rhône: wine that must be blended with
grapes from many vineyards in the region as long as
they use the main grapes of Grenache, Syrah,
Mourvedre, Carignon and a few others.
3. Côtes du Rhône Villages: same criteria as
Cote-du Rhône but made with higher-quality grapes
from identified villages
4. Côtes du Rhône Villages [followed by the name of
a specific village]: wine made from grapes grown
only in one village
5. Cru: specific appellations such as Châteauneuf or
Gigondas which have quality levels generally
recognized as among the best in France
The Louis Bernard company, like many of the larger
wine companies in the area, functions both as a
producer of wines from their own vineyards and a “négociant,”
a broker who supervises and markets the wines from
many winegrowers in the region. Meufrre’s
philosophy, says Anthony, is to “use little oak and
emphasize the Grenache in the blend.”
The top restaurant in Gigondas is the Perrin
family’s L’Oustalet
www.restaurantoustalet.com .
The Perrin family also owns Beaucastel, perhaps the
most famous winery in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, La
Vieille Ferme and many other famous wine brands,
including a new rosé wine venture with Brangelino
and a joint venture with Tablas Creek in California.
They have created a small restaurant in an ancient
house on the village’s main square.
Laurent Deconinck is the master chef here. In France, according to
Laurent, “Gastronomy exists to support the wine.”
And in sommelier Gabriel Danis, he has the perfect
supporter – a master of pairing Laurent’s fragrant
dishes with wine from the region. Early February is
truffle season in the Rhône Valley and Chef Laurent
has prepared a special truffle menu and even
introduced us to his exclusive truffle hunter, who
was celebrate his wife’s birthday.
Each course (except dessert) was made with truffles:
Butternut Squash with Truffle Butter (paired with a
white Châteauneuf) , Leeks With Truffles and Quail
Eggs (paired with a red 1998 Côtes du Rhône Villages
Uchaux), Truffle Ravioli with Mushrooms and Foie
Gras (paired with the same Côtes du Rhône Villages
Uchaux), Veal with Potatoes and Celery Sautéed with
Truffles (paired with a red 2007 Vacqueyras). And
before dinner Laurent invited us into the kitchen
and treated us to some truffles topped just with
Camargue sea salt. What a treat!
L’Auberge du Vin
Intrigued by the website of a B&B called “L’Auberge
du Vin” (“The Wine Inn”)
www.aubergeduvin.com , we had to investigate.
The inn is located in a former farmhouse in middle
of a vineyard in the village of Mazan. It’s at the
foot of Mont Ventoux, the majestic 6,000 foot
mountain that dominates western Provence and is
famous as a major test in the Tour de France. The
inn’s owners, Linda Field and Chris Hunt, are a
charming English couple who left the corporate world
in London to follow their passions for wine and
France.
The Inn is advertised as a “B&B and Wine School” and
sure enough, the front door of the house opens into
a classroom full of wine bottles and charts about
grape varieties. Linda is a certified WSET
instructor [Wine and Spirits Educational Trust] and
she offers the WSET “intermediate” course to
visitors from all over the world.
As wine is her passion, all guests can benefit by
listening and learning from her informally, even if
they are not taking a course. Upon our arrival,
Linda wasted no time. “Let’s taste some wine!” As
the evening progressed the wines improved—or were we
just very mellow at that point? No, Linda assured
us, she saved the best for last. The highlight was a
“blind tasting” of two wines.
The first turned out to be a Beaucastel
Côtes-du-Rhône, one of the top and largest
winemakers in Châteauneuf, and the second was a
lovely Syrah-based wine from a small winemaker down
the road: Domaine de Fondreceh “Persia”. And this
was just the beginning. Each evening chez L’Auberge
du Vin became more of an extravaganza of
extraordinary wines, a combination of bottles from
the couple’s cellar and the wines we brought back
from our own wine-tasting adventures of the day.
Unforgettable—and probably only possible in the
winter.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
www.chateauneuf.com/english is the largest
and most famous wine region in the southern Rhône
Valley. The village itself is a town of about 2,000
inhabitants with more than 300 winemakers! As you
walk through the streets, you pass one small winery
and/or tasting room after another. Some are very
famous and some not so. But they all have great
passion about their products and “terroir.”
On our tour we had the opportunity to visit some of
the most famous. Most of them can be visited, and
often without an appointment--especially in
the winter.
Mont Redon
www.wi055.lerelaisinternet.com/index%20an.html
is the largest producer in the village. Still a
family operation run by the Abeille-Fabre clan,
which has owned the property since 1923, Mont Redon
makes wonderful full-bodied reds from grapes grown
almost exclusively on the small rocks (“galets”)
found on many wine properties in the region.
The rocks bring a depth and minerality that makes a
great Châteauneuf wine distinctive. And their
hi-tech winery is among the most modern in France.
We were particularly impressed by an automated
grape-sorting machine that can sort the quality of
grapes as well or even better than human sorters!
Chateau La Nerthe
www.chateaulanerthe.fr , the third-largest
producer in Châteauneuf-du-Pape is housed in one of
the few real châteaus in
the village.
Perched on top of a hill, the elegant 18th century
La Nerthe prides itself on producing certified
organic wines from some of the oldest vines in the
region, some of them more than 120 years old.
Winemaker Christian Voeux kindly gave us a tour of
their vineyards and cellar dating (so they believe)
to the Romans. Indeed there is a very mysterious
stone tank that may indeed have been built in Roman
times. And then, Christian treated us to a tasting
of his magnificent wines. Visitors are always
welcome in their opulent and popular tasting room.
Try to book in advance!
Domaine Pégau
www.pegau.com , famous for its “100+” ratings by
wine critic Robert Parker, is owned by the Féraud
family, who have been cultivating wine grapes in the
region since the 17th century.
Originally they simply sold their grapes to wine
merchants, but in 1964 Paul Féraud started making
his own wines under the name Domaine Féraud. And in
1987, with degrees in oenology, viticulture and
business, Paul’s daughter Laurence changed the name
to Domaine du Pégau (named after an ancient wine jug
discovered in the Pope’s Palace in Avignon) and so
began the wine legend that this Domaine
has become.
Laurence showed us around her terroir, declaring
that “nobody can be a good winemaker until they know
the terroir at least 20 years.” She also took us to
a new property she and her father just purchased in
the neighboring village of Sorgues, which is
destined to become yet another legendary source of
Cotes-du-Rhone, as well as a resort and spa. “In
years with great grape harvests making wine is easy.
Just crush the grapes and put them in a barrel for a
few years,” said Laurence. Her art is making great
wines when the vintages are not so good! Pegau has a
tasting cellar in the heart of the village, but try
to arrange a visit to the winery itself, just a few
blocks away.
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe
www.vignoblesbrunier.fr has been in the
Brunier family since 1898, when the current owners’
great-grandfather purchased some land and started
making his own wine.
Daniel and Frédéric Brunier are the current owners
or, as Daniel would prefer to say, “caretakers” of
the land in the “Crau” area of Châteauneuf. Daniel
does most of the winemaking and Frédéric is in
charge of the vines. They are a very close team. “If
you know how to grow a vine you can make wine,” says
Daniel. “90% of winemaking is in the vineyard.”
Daniel does do a few things, however. “It is
important to make your own wine and forget the wine
world. Never pay attention to critics’ ratings.
Don’t use pumps or machines.
If you interfere with the natural process it affects
the taste. We are very fortunate that our terroir is
the best in the area. And Fredéric is the caretaker
of our terroir .” The Brunier brothers also make
wines at Domaine La Roquète in Châteauneuf and Les
Pallières in Gigondas (they co-own these with the
famous California importer Kermit Lynch) and
together with the Ghosn family of Lebanon and the
Hébrard family of Bordeaux, they co-own Massaya of
the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon.
You can taste all of these wines at Vieux
Télégraphe’s welcoming tasting room, located just
outside the village of Courthézon, next to
Châteauneuf.
Châteauneuf Food
All of this wine tasting makes you hungry.
Fortunately there are some stellar restaurants in
the area. In Châteauneuf itself, the “soul” of the
village is La Mère Germaine
www.lameregermaine.fr , located in the center of
the village.
First opened in 1922 by Madame Germaine Vion, the
chef at the French presidential palace at the
beginning of the 20th century, the restaurant is the
central meeting place for the local wine industry as
well as tourists from around the world.
Indeed famous actors and musicians are often sighted
there and in the past it was renowned as Charles de
Gaulle’s favorite restaurant in Provence. The
cooking is high-level, delicious gastronomic
Provence cuisine using only local ingredients. Says
owner-manager-factotum André Mazy, who recently
bought and renovated the restaurant and hotel,
“I am proud to welcome visitors and set up visits to
my friends the famous winemakers of our village.”
Indeed a visit to Châteauneuf would not be complete
without lunch or dinner or even a night’s stay at La
Mère Germaine.
Another fabulous restaurant in the area is the
newly-opened La Table de Sorgues
www.latabledesorgues.com , in the center of
Sorgues, a village next to Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
In a beautiful building that was formerly the
mansion of the Châteauneuf Avril family and then the
local police headquarters, Sandrine and Jean-Paul
Lecroq have created a food paradise!
For 15 years the couple owned and managed the four
star wine estate/hotel/restaurant Château de la Caze
in les Gorges du Tarn in their native Lozère.
Sandrine explains, “In 2012 we decided to establish
a new professional and family life in a more popular
tourist region.”
Jean-Paul learned to cook in his native region and
worked in many famous restaurants throughout France.
He only cooks what is absolutely fresh, so the menus
changes every day based on what is freshest in the
morning markets.
Our lunch in February, the height of truffle-hunting
season, was rich with the tastes of truffles and
local herbs, together with the freshest meats
supplied by Florent, a butcher in Jean-Paul’s native
Lozère. Among the foods we ate were late winter
asparagus picked that morning and cooked with foie
gras, fresh scallops marinated in local herbs and
veal from Aveyron in a garlic emulsion with
anchovies and black olives.
Sandrine, who speaks perfect English, is also the
sommelier. She picked perfect pairings with each
course, including superb Châteauneuf, Côtes du Rhône
and Muscat de Beaumes de Venise dessert wines. Don’t
miss this place!
All in all, winter in the Rhône Valley is a
wonderful destination for foodies and wine lovers:
great places to visit, great food and wine and warm
hospitality from people with time to pamper you. Get
there if you can!
Where to Stay:
My Beaucaire http://mybeaucaire.com in Beaucaire. A
large cmoforatley vacation rental on the Rhône.
Contact:
info@mybeaucaire.com
Phone: +1-718-871-0369L’Auberge duVin
www.aubergeduvin.com in Mazan. A “Wine
B&B” at the foot of Mont Ventoux Contact:
info@aubergeduvin.com Phone +33 (0)4 90 61
62 84La Mère Germaine (http://lameregermaine.fr) in
Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The “Soul of
Châteauneuf-du-Pape” Contact:
andre.mazy@laposte.fr
Phone: +33 (0)4 90 22 78 34
Where to Eat:
Le Pré Gourmand
www.lepregourmand.net in Eyragues. Great
Provençal cooking in a small Proven village.
Contact:
contact@restaurant-www.lepregourmand.com
Phone: +33 (0)9 81 87 94 98L’Oustalet
www.restaurantoustalet.com in Gigondas.
Luxuious gourmet cooking in a famous wine village.
Contact:
restaurant.oustalet@gmail.com
Phone: +33 (0)4 90 65 85 30La Mère Germaine
lameregermaine.fr in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The
“Soul of Châteauneuf-du-Pape” Contact:
andre.mazy@laposte.fr
Phone +33 (0)4 90 61 62 84La Table de Sorgues
www.latabledesorgues.com , in Sorgues. Subperb
gourment cooking by a master chef. Contact:
latabledesorgues@gmail.com
Phone: +33 (0)4 90 39 11 02
Where to Taste:
Caveau Gabriel Meffre and Louis Bernard at the
Domaine de Longue Toque
www.gabrielmeffre.com and
www.louis-bernard.com/en , Gigondas.
Contact:
caveaugabrielmeffre@meffre.com
Phone: +33 (0)4.90.12.30.21Mont Redon
www.wi055.lerelaisinternet.com ,
Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Contact:
contact@chateaumontredon.fr Phone +33 (0)4
90 83 72 75Chateau La Nerthe
www.chateaulanerthe.f , Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Contact:
contact@chateaulanerthe.fr
Phone: +33 (0)4 90 83 70 11Domaine Pégau
www.pegau.com , Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Contact:
pegau@pegau.com
, Phone” +33 (0)4 90 83 72 70Domaine du Vieux
Télégraphe
www.vignoblesbrunier.fr Courthézon.
Contact:
vignobles@brunier.fr , Phone: +33 (0)4 90 33 00
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