Chateauneuf-du-Pape has been on the wish list for a while. This small region in the Southern Rhone Valley is primarily know for red wine and its reputation is well deserved. FYI, the name means New Chateau of the Pope, actually the summer residence of the Pope for the century the Pope was located in France
To see this area and to understand what makes the wines here so special there is only one guy to take a tour with, Pierre. He was born and raised in this small town and his family has been making wine for many generations. I originally wanted to book his all-day tour for Dick’s birthday, but for the next two months there were only 2 dates available. So, on Saturday, we managed to get his last two spots for the Monday tour and also to get a room for Monday night at Les Vignes (equally difficult to book).
Pierre starts our tour by taking us to the vineyards to see the different terroirs of the area. Amazing, in a 500 meter stretch you can have 4 very different types of ‘soil’; sandy, river rock, clay and all limestone. Each area has very specific type of grapes planted.
Then on to visit the wineries, we go to 2 in the morning, and 2 in the afternoon with a lunch break in between. Pierre has the keys to a great number of the wineries and although we do meet several of the owners, Pierre handles the tastings. Harvest has just started today, so the wineries are very busy getting the grapes in.
We check into our B&B after a lovely day. The place is amazing, they have one suite in the main house and a standalone self-catering apartment on the premises. Fabian and Chris are the owners and they do a fantastic job with customer service. Fabian recommends a local place to have dinner and makes a reservation for us. We enjoy some Rose on our private terrace before taking the uphill hike into town for dinner.
Dick and I have the roasted lamb shoulder (for two) for our main course and it is fall off the bone delicious. We split the profiteroles for dessert, easily could have feed 4 people.
Luckily, the walk back is downhill. A wonderful day!
M.
Wine tasting today in the acclaimed ‘Chateauneuf-du-Pape’ region. The region (and village of same name) are about a 1-1/2 hour drive north of our apartment in Aix-en-Provence. Chateauneuf is considered possibly the best region world-wide for reds and there are some 320+ wineries in the area.
Mary was able to get us a spot on an all-day tour with ‘Prestige Wine Tours’ who operate out of Chateauneuf. The owner and operator is Pierre Fernandez, a locally born sommelier and descendent of one of Chateauneuf’s original wine growers. Pierre has quite a relationship with the wineries and carries keys to the ‘caves’ and vaults for many. We shared the day with four others – South African, Australian, and English folk. The tour was probably the best Mary and I have ever taken. Pierre’s knowledge of the complex terroir, wine-making process, and history of the region was remarkable.
At the foot of the village is a small, lovely B&B where we spent the evening. After a long day of tastings, driving was not a good option. A short (but tiring) walk up the narrow street the villagers call ‘Rompe Cul’ (or ‘Pain in the Arse’) for dinner ended a great day.
D.
