Lacoste Festival: Pierre Cardin Announces 13th Season of Music, Ballet and Theater; July 12-26

by BB Kuett on May 16, 2013

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From either end of the plain of Apt in the Luberon, the hilltop village of Lacoste appears as a luminous torch in the warm limpid summer nights. Draw nearer to the light and the tip of the flame assumes the jagged contours of an ancient castle, the former residence of Donatien Alphonse François, the Marquis de Sade.

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On the hilltop beyond the castle, a sloping path leads down into the once deserted rock quarries that are the setting for the Lacoste Festival, an annual summer event toasting its thirteenth year featuring youthful talent in ballet, theater, and music.

A ritual: A few moments before curtain time the creator of the Festival, attired in a black sports coat, white shirt and chucks, his face framed by signature black browline glasses, takes a seat center row four: Pierre Cardin.

 

As with past festivals, this years performances reflect the exquisite taste of Eve Ruggièri.

UN AMOUR DE SADE: Friday July 12, 9:00 p.m. - Château de Lacoste

“Concert conté” produced by Eve Ruggièri, Length of One Hour

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Composed by W.A. Mozart, Set design by Gérard Chambre, Directed by Pierre-Michel Durand, the Prométhée Ensemble Orchestra, with Pauline Courtin (Soprano) : Anne-Prospère de Launay, Irène Candelier (Soprano) : Madame de Sade, and Christian Helmer (Baryton) : Marquis de Sade.

Reservations at: 04 90 75 93 12, All tickets are 60€.

EVA PERON, Monday, July 15, 9:00 p.m., Carrières de lacoste

La Flamboyante Comédie, a musical proposed by Eve Ruggièri, Length of 90 minutes.

Set design by Jean-François Vinciguerra, Directed by Pierre-Michel Durand, The Tanguísimo Prométhée Ensemble Orchestra,

Julie de Laurenti (Soprano) : Eva Perón, Jean-François Vinciguerra (Bass Baritone) : Juan Perón, José Luis Barretto: the singer of Tango

Reservations at: 04 90 75 93 12, Tickets at 120€, 100€ and 80€. Consult website for seating chart.

L’HÔTE and RETOUR À TIPASA, Wednesday, July 17, 9:00 p.m. Carrières de lacoste

Readings of Albert Camus performed by,  Daniel Mesguich on the 100th anniversary of the birth of Albert Camus

Reservations at: 04 90 75 93 12, Tickets at 60€, 50€ and 40€. Consult website for seating chart.

“ANNONCIATION” and “ROYAUME UNI”, Monday, July 22, 9:00 p.m. Carrières de lacoste

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Ballets by Angelin Preljocaj, website

Annonciation, created in 1995, and Royaume Uni created in 2012.

Reservations at: 04 90 75 93 12, Tickets at 60€, 50€ and 40€. Consult website for seating chart.

BEETHOVEN: Concertos, Thursday, July 25 and Friday, July 26, 9:00 p.m. Carrières de lacoste

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In partnership with les Musicales du Luberon, Barry Douglas, Director and piano: Orcherstra: Camerata d’Irlande, website

July 25: Concerto N°2 en Si bémol Majeur Opus 19, Concerto N°1 en Do Majeur Opus 15, Concerto N°4 en Sol Majeur Opus 58

July 26: Concerto N° 3 en do mineur Opus 37, Concerto N° 5 en Mi bémol Majeur Opus 73

See reservation contact below; Tickets at 60€, 50€ and 40€. Consult website for seating chart

Basics

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Festival Office: Espace La Costa, Rue basse, 84480 Lacoste, Open Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to Noon, and from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., as of July 8, open every day from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 pm., Festival Website

Reservations and payment by credit card: 04-90-75-93-12; Tickets may be available one hour before each performance at the Théâtre des Carrières ticket office. Online orders at fnac.com

Reservations for Beethoven Concertos on July 25 and 26: Les Musicales du Luberon, Tel 06.85.68.65.34, or Email: contact@musicalesluberon.com

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Tour de France Hits Malaucène on July 14: Sojourn at Le Clos St Michel or La Fleur Bleu, Tour at Rhone Wine Holidays, Quaff at Saint Jean du Barroux.

by BB Kuett on May 7, 2013

On July 14, Bastille Day, the Tour de France will send riders up the mythical 6,000 plus-feet Mont Ventoux with its bare limestone summit heaving with crazed booze-fueled fans. It will be ninth time in its history that the Tour attacks the Ventoux.

The Tour that day will take riders from Nyons in the Drome Provencal to Malaucène in the Vaucluse on route D938. From Malaucène, the riders head out on D938 toward Le Barroux before taking D19 to climb the small hill - Le col de la Madeleine (photo r.) – and then descend to Bedoin where the climb up Mont Ventoux begins.

Don’t expect any of the riders next summer to approach the fastest ascent up Ventoux set in 2002 by Lance Armstrong who covered the 21.1km climb in a jacked-up-by-drugs 58 minutes.

For cyclist fans looking to book a week or two at a gîte along D938 during the Tour next summer, and taste one of the region’s top wines, here are four splendid addresses:

Le Clos Saint Michel is nestled in a bucolic park-like setting of olive and oak tress with sweeping views of the valley.

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Hosts Laurence and Eric Tabardon offer week-by-week bookings at a colony of accommodations: 3 villas accommodating up to 10, 8 and 6 people respectively, an apartment for as many as 4, a studio for a couple, and day-by-day stays at a Bed and Breakfast.

There is a large pool and a room dedicated for cyclists with storage racks and a mini-workshop.

La Fleur Bleue is an exquisitely-decorated Provencal farmhouse, a restaurant and gîte near the village of Crestet north of Malaucène run by a Dutch couple, the Chef David Worm and Fiejette Worm, who minds the wine cellar.

Menus Lafleurbleue: 15€ lunch on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; menus for 22€, 30€ and 37.50€, smart selection of Southern Rhone wines. The small restaurant is immensely popular during the summer season; reservations are recommended.

There are two gîtes with Provencal decor each with a private entrance, terrace, large living room and two separate bedrooms, both accommodating up to five people.

David Worm offers cooking classes in January, February, March, April, May, October and November for an inclusive fee of 85€ for 4 hours of instruction, ingredients, recipes and a table d’hotes dinner.

Adjacent to Le Clos Saint Michel in Malaucène is a large hanger that serves as the cave of the winery Saint Jean du Barroux, the heralded vintages produced by Philippe Gimel which thrill palates in more than ten countries.

Whereas his vineyard of twelve hectares of vines on the northern lowest slopes of the Mount Ventoux is in Le Barroux, Philippe Gimel leases the spacious funky hanger where he vinifies his wines, and prepares the cases for shipment.  The absence of chairs reflects his work ethic.

Since launching his brand in 2004 with a single highly-rated red vintage, Philippe now produces four red vintages, a rosé and a white vintage. His wines attract a fervent following in Europe and in the U.S.

An indefatigable marketer, Philippe conducts animated tours of his vineyards followed by tastings at his cave in Malaucene, which are a must for lovers of elegantly-styled Rhone Valley wines. Note: Visit and tastings by appointment only.

On his Facebook page, Philippe says that he is eager to serve some liquids to assist cyclists during their recovery from the Ventoux. The riders would have the time, as July 15 is a rest day before the Tour departs on July 16 from Vaison la Romaine to Gap.

Rhone Wine Holidays: A unique all-inclusive package at La Madelène, an elegantly renovated priory where a single price covers tutored tastings, visits, accommodation, all meals at La Madelène and out at restaurants.

Your hosts are Philip and Jude Reddaway. Philip migrated from the corporate media world in London to studying wine and qualifying as a WSET approved wine instructor. He ran a number of successful wine courses in Brighton and London before moving to France.

Choose between a three-day tour (three nights lodging) of Selected Domaines of the Southern Rhone, or a one-day tour (one night lodging) of  “Rhone Stars.” Consult website listed below for details and pricing.

Basics:

Domaine Saint Jean du Barroux: Chemin de Saint Jean, Le Barroux, Tel 04 90 70 84 74, Facebook, Email contact@saintjeandubarroux.com, Importers: UK, Dudley de Fleury Wines; U.S., European Cellars. Directions: Le Cave is located off D938 between Bedoin and Malaucene next to Le Clos Saint Michel (below).

Le Clos Saint Michel, Malaucene, Tel 04 90 65 21 37, Email contact@le-clos-saint-michel.com, Website. Directions: Located off D938 btw Bedoin and Malaucène, from Malaucene watch for signage, turn right before bend in road to the left.

La Fleur Bleue, Chemin de Sublon, 84110 Crestet, France, Tel 04 90 36 23 45, Website, Directions: Located off D938 just south of Crestet, 6km north of Malaucène. (Photo gîte r.)

Rhone Wine Holidays: La Madelène, route d’Entrechaux, Malaucène, France, Tel 04 90  62 19 33, Email rhonewineholidays@googlemail.com, Website

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Lourmarin: Peter Mayle’s Unavoidably Poignant Dedication to Winemaker Allen Chevalier in “The Marseille Caper”

by BB Kuett on May 1, 2013

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When PVB commented on a restaurant mentioned in “The Marseille Caper,” a few readers inquired about the background of Allen Chevalier, the object of Peter Mayle’s unavoidably poignant dedication:

 “To the loving memory of Allen Chevalier,

A good friend who made lovely wine”

In his novel “A Good Year” (2004), Mr. Mayle acknowledged Allen Chevalier for his “advice of an alcoholic nature.”

Lourmarin was their ‘territoire de rencontre,’ a mild irony came calling in that the wine lover and the wine maker shared a first career in advertising before they relocated to the Luberon to live out their ‘vraies passions.’

In 1990, Allen and Marie-Laure Chevalier sold their home in Versailles and moved to Lourmarin where they purchased a 16th-century estate and vineyard, the Château Constantin, a gorgeous site of rolling hills and verdant vistas covering more than 100 acres of vines, olive groves and oak forests. On the western border of the vineyard, the L’Aigue Brun river deposited on its edges a thick carpet of round stones similar to those found in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Embarking on a complete makeover of the vineyard and installing modern equipment, M. Chevalier introduced his first vintage of a rebranded Château Constantin-Chevalier vinified from the 1991 harvest. With fierce passion and joy manifest, Allen Chavalier came to produce through twenty years some of the richest vintages in the AOC Luberon until his passing in August, 2011.

By 1996 the celebrity-drenched (2 books) Peter Mayle had fled his Ménerbes home in the Luberon for the chic environs of the Hamptons. Upon his return to the region in 2000, he took up residence along with his wife and their dogs in an 18th-century bastide – a 14-acre estate – on the edge of Lourmarin (now sold).

The Château Constantin-Chevalier borders the upscale sleepover Les Olivettes, run by Joseph and Elizabeth DeLiso, an American and a Brit respectively, who are among Mayles’ retinue of friends in the Luberon and huge fans of the Château’s wines.

Within your wine mind, there are moments when the first taste of a vintage is riveted in imperishable memory. One of those flashes of terrible precision arrived in August, 2008, when PVB escorted some posh friends from London to Lourmarin.

As evening approached and with kids to feed, we took a sidewalk table at the Pizza Nonni. A local wine was in order; a red was selected. At first sip came the bracing sensation of enriched pleasure which reawakened some childlike part of your brain. And so began an indissoluble relationship with the wines of Château Constantin-Chevalier.

Peter Mayle must have arrived at a similar moment of terrible precision, for he has often cited the Château Constantin-Chevalier among his favored wineries and the Château’s rosé as his preferred tipple, and, alas, his long friendship with Allen underpinned by a love of wine.

Basics:

The Château Constantin-Chevalier produces three red vintages, two white and two rosés. Grape varieties are Grenache, Syrah, Carignan and Mourvèdre for the Reds; Ugni-Blanc, Roussanne, Clairette, Vermentino for the Whites.  The Cuvée des Fondateurs, aged in oak barrels for a year, is an exceptional red – rich texture and deep flavors.  The ‘bleed’ Rosé, known as rosé d’une nuit, is an aromatic and perky drink; likewise the paler Rosé Pétale de Rose.

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AOC Luberon: 40% Syrah, 40% Grenache and 20% Carignan.

AOC Luberon Cuvée des Fundateurs: 40% Syrah, 40% Grenache and 20% Carignan.

AOC Luberon Rosé d’une Nuit: 50% Grenache and 50% Syrah. Saignée.

AOC Luberon Rosé Pétale de Rose: 50% Grenache and 50% Syrah. Saignée.

AOC Luberon Blanc: 65% Vermentino, 15% Clairette and 20% Ugni Blanc.

AOC Luberon Blanc Cuvée des Fundateurs: 60% Vermentino, 15% Clairette, 15% Ugni Blanc and 10% Roussanne.

Château Constantin-Chevalier: Route Jas de Puyvert (D139) 84160 Lourmarin, Find Lourmarin’s only petrol station (Shell). From the station, follow D27 in the direction of Lauris. At the fork (500m), take the road to the left (D139) towards Jas de Puyvert. Tel. 04 90 68 38 99

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Les Olivettes: One might call it a B&B squared, more than a bed and more than a breakfast. The uniqueness of Les Olivettes, a luxuriously renovated Bastide on the fringe of Lourmarin, is that its six spacious apartments all have fully-equipped kitchens, freeing guests from the daily captivity of restaurants, although in Lourmarin, a culinary hotspot, the temptations for fine dining abound. A Provencal breakfast and other repasts are taken in your room or on your terrace per your leisurely schedule.

There is a dreamlike quality to Les Olivettes; it’s the kind of place that you would summon up in your imagination as the ideal tranquil Provencal holiday, and then the moment you arrive to its door, everything is in its place just as you imagined it.

Avenue Henri Bosco, 84160 Lourmarin, Email: lourmarin@olivettes.com, Website The property is south of the village; the road is also marked D27 in the direction of Lauris.

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Pizzeria Nonni: serves tasty provencal-style pizza and other Italian fare in a cozy and warm interior on cools days or on warm summer evenings at quiet sidewalk tables nestled around the Fontaine la Cordière. A short walk up the slope of rue Henri de Savornin from the center of the village. Reservations for outdoor dining a must. Closed Mondays.

Address: 2, rue Albert Camus, Lourmarin, Tel 04 90 68 23 33

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Ménerbes: Maison de la Truffe et du Vin du Luberon – Wine Shop for AOC Luberon – Vernissage April 30, Art Exhibit Until June 6

by BB Kuett on April 28, 2013

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The dynamic Mayor of Ménerbes Yves Rousset-Rouard knows how to move minds and cut deals. He made a name for himself in the film biz as producer of Emmanuelle flicks, as well as the less racy more traditional work of George Roy Hill and Joseph Losey. Charming and personable: aucun snobisme.

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One of his brilliant ‘productions’ in Ménerbes is the Maison de la Truffe et du Vin, which sits on the eastern tip – the raised bow – of the elongated perched village.

On the lower floor you can taste Luberon wines from about 50 vineyards; the wine shop sells bottles at the same price you would pay at the winery. One can take a journey to Luberon appellations for tastings at the far flung wineries without eating up days as well as petrol.

The ‘Maison” also has a shop on the main floor offering olive oil and delicacies of the region. Lunch and dinner (two nights a week) are served in the sculpture garden. The top floor and sculpture garden host art exhibits.

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From April 30 until June 6, the ‘Maison’ will be exhibiting the paintings – seascapes – of Jean-Pierre Blanche (photo l.), the equilibriums (photo above r.) of Nadine Fourré, and the structures / mobiles of Jacques Salles (photo ctr) on its second floor and in its sculpture garden.

 

Basics:

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Maison de la Truffe et du Vin Maison: Place de l’horloge, 84560 Ménerbes, Tél 04 90 72 38 37,   website

Vernissage: Tuesday, April 30, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m., Exhibition until June 6. Open 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 2:00 – 6:00 p.m. On Saturday, May 18, Museum Night, Open until 10:00 p.m.

Nadine Fourré: Nadine@equilibrezen.com, tel 06 22 85 17 52, Facebook, Youtube

Jacques Salles: jsalles.structeur@free.fr, tel 06 81 90 78 54 blog

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Vaucluse: Five Restaurants That Marry Fine Cuisine with Fine Wine

by BB Kuett on April 25, 2013

Chat with great winemakers in the Vaucluse about where their incredibly happy clientele dine – those motivated by a self-conscious concern of marrying a good bottle with a good dish – and you hear several places echoing in your ears as you shuffle about for a pen and a piece of paper to put them to memory. For the establishments listed below, reservations are recommended.

Restaurant Gérard Alonso, Avenue du 19 Mars 1962, Sorgues, Menu lunch 35€, dinner 50€, Tel 04 90 39 11 02, Closed Sunday and Monday.  (The Avignon-based American sommelier Kelly McAuliffe is a fan of the cuisine of Gérard Alonso.)

Le Grand Pré, (photo l.) Route de Vaison-la-Romaine, Roaix, Restaurant Le Grand Pré, Menu  37-85€, Tel 04 90 46 18 12, Bistro Preface, Menus 29€- 39€, Tel 04 90 36 07 95, Email info@legrandpre.com, website

(Unabashed hedonist Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate has popped into Le Grand Pré.)

Le Temps de Vivre, Hameau les Farjons, Uchaux, Menu 18€ to 39€, Closed Wed and Thurs lunch from Sept to April, Tel 04 90 40 66 00, Email cuisine.passion904@orange.fr Impressive bâtisse

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Campagne, Vignes et Gourmandises, (photo r.) Route de Suze-la-Rousse, Sainte-Cecile-les-Vignes, Tel 04 90 63 40 11, Email sylfernandes@wanadoo.fr, website

Lunch menus at 23€ and 17€, dinner menus at 34€ and 40€. Terrace. Intimate.

 

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Au Fils de Temps, (photo l.) 73 Place Louis Giraud, Pernes les Fontaines, Menu lunch 19,50€, dinner 28€-35€, Tel: 04 90 30 09 48. Lively ambiance. Check out the Website

Note: This restaurant lost its one-star Michelin ranking two years ago yet has been packing in clients with a new chef.


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Art Briefs: Ménerbes, Coustellet and L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue

by BB Kuett on April 24, 2013

 Galerie Pascal Lainé: Vernissage Friday, April 26, Ménerbes (above)

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“Trames” – canvas, paper and engravings: Works of Louise Cara, who experiments with tools, formats, materials: pigments, oils, impasto, binders, and ink, employing brushes and spatulas.

Exhibition runs from April 26 to May 20, Vernissage Friday, April 26, from 6 to 9:00 p.m.

Galerie Pascal Lainé, Rue Sainte Barbe in the center of Ménerbes. Tel: 04-90-72-48-30, Website

Hours: Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Artist Website

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Galerie 22: Vernissage, Saturday, May 11 in Coustellet (above)

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Exhibition from May 8 to June 16: Sculptures of Tetsuo Harada and Medjid Houari (photo l.) and the paintings of Enrique Mestre-Jaime, Vernissage: Saturday, May 11, 6:30 p.m.

Galerie 22, ​267 route de Gordes, Coustellet (across from the Musée de la Lavande), Cabrières d’Avignon Tél.  04 90 71 85 06, Email : contact@galerie22contemporain.com, Website

 

Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. to 700 p.m.

 

 Galerie Nicolet: Temporary Space in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue

Richard Nicolet, who is developing a new site for his splendid Coustellet gallery while maintaining a presence at art shows and forums, is exhibiting the artists of the gallery at a temporary location:

Les boutiques de l’Orée, Avenue René Char, 84800 L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Tel 06 66 52 62 72, Email: galerienicolet@gmail.com, Website

Open Friday to Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

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Olive Oil Wars: A Sunny Business with Shady Practices. Read the Label, Carefully.

by BB Kuett on April 23, 2013

The urge to indulge oneself in the delights of everything Provence is symptomatic of the impoverished assumption that everything in the region is authentic, e.g. made in Provence. Not so.

Market day somewhere in Provence. You approach a stand displaying a sunburst of colors: the many hues of locally-grown olives, the warm beige of honey, the black night of tapenade, the deep ruby red of cherry or strawberry preserves.  You grab that bottle of olive oil with a pretty provencale design.

Now, read the label.

NPR ran an interview  with Tom Mueller, an Italy-based contributor to the New Yorker and the author of  Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil, which documents a sunny business with shady practices.

PVB’s survey of olive oils sold in the Vaucluse resonates with Mueller’s what’s-in-that-olive-bottle warning.

A French TV Channel 5 documentary ripped into the olive oil biz and the slights-of-hand and dodgy product labeling that infantalize consumers.

The FR5 video with sub-titles would be riveting entertainment on Air France’s inbound flights rather than those dull movies that you never dared place in your Netflix queue.

French regulations demand that the origin of the olive oil must appear on the bottle. Look closely. At times, such info appears in mouse type. The FR5 sleuths embarrassed one shady vendor at a market in Aix-en-Provence who was selling olive oil from Spain.

Take the generic phrase “a product of the European Union” that appears on the back-of-the-bottle label of the popular French supermarket brand Puget. Origin of this olive oil: Spain. The French company refused an interview and visit from the truculent FR5 reporters at their bottling facility in the south of France.

No different in Italy as Mueller surmises that “4 out of 10 bottles that say Italian olive oil are not actually Italian olive oil.” The gimmick: import olive oil from another country and have it packed in Italy, or ship it via Italy. These are not illegal practices mind you, but the consumer is being defrauded.

A quick primer. Virgin olive oil is harvested by hand or machine to preserve the integrity of the fruit, and undergoes no chemical treatment.

In the bottle, virgin olive oil possesses an acidity of not more than two grams per 100 grams; extra virgin olive oil has not more than .8 grams per 100 grams of acidity. Spain produces about a third of world production. Boutique olive oils in Provence can run from 15 to 40 euros a liter.

Pictured above is an authentic Olive Oil  “etiquette”: Huile d’Olive Vierge, Recolté et Mis en Bouteille par le Producteur Catherine et Serge Constant, Earl La Rambaude, 339, Chemin de Saint-Roch 84210 Saint-Didier, Origine France. This olive oil is on sale at the Monday Morning Market in the village of Saint-Didier.

Repeat: Inspect the label, carefully at a market or a shop / supermarket to verify the producer and the origin of the olive oil before purchasing.

So if you have come all this way, why not splurge for the real Provencal stuff and buy direct from a producer like Catherine and Serge Constant.

For buying direct from local producers, here are some “Moulin à huile” (Producers) in the Vaucluse:

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Moulin Saint-Augustin, Oppède. 04.90.72.43.66, Website

Moulin Mathieu, Oppède. 04.90.76.90.66, Website

Moulin Dauphin, Cucuron. 04.90.77.26.17, Website

Moulin du Clos-des-Jeannons, Gordes. 04.90.72.68.35, Website

Moulin à huile de la Chartreuse, Villeneuve-lès-Avignon. 04.90.25.45.59, Website

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Simply Stunning Syrah: Nine Wineries in the Ventoux and the Luberon to Spice Up Your Palate

by BB Kuett on April 19, 2013

Hence this scenario at an upscale restaurant in Provence where I experience acute frustration over my perceived self-indulgence in requesting which local reds on the ‘carte’ are Syrah-based; I find myself glancing at my cell for messages while the waiter scurries to the ‘cave’ to retrieve the bottles on which the “back label” reveals the percentages of grape varieties within.

Now, this behavior on my part risks coming across as the somewhat condescending concern of a rude, spoiled, self-absorbed American faux wine snob, as French Syrahs distinguish themselves in the Northern Rhone (Heritage, Côte Rotie, St. Joseph) but are not top-of-mind in the Southern Rhone where Grenache blends rule.

Rare to be surprised by any restaurant listing the grape varieties of a bottle on the wine list, and even rarer that patrons realize what they are drinking, or they assume that since they are in the Southern Rhone it must be Grenache-based blended with Syrah or Mourvèdre, or a bit of both.

As anyone who hits the wine trails of the Vaucluse are quick to discover, the Syrah-dominate wines — from 70% to 100% Syrah – produced in the Ventoux and the Côtes-du-Luberon are a stupendous drink: deep violet in color, displaying intense flavors of blackberries, black currants and plums, bolstered by black peppery notes, and they are often the elite offering of the estate. Here are nine estates – clustered by the regions of the Ventoux and the Luberon – which produce Syrah-dominate vintages:

VENTOUX SYRAHS (in no particular order)

Domaine du Tix (pictured above): Cuvée Bramefan, a 90% Syrah blend with 10% Grenache. Ruby red color with silky and velvety texture, complex structure of vivid fruit flavors, smooth tannins and a spicy finish. Forty sommeliers of leading restaurants in France offer the Bramefan. Excellent price / quality value.

Address: 84570 Mormoiron en Ventoux, Vaulcuse France, Tel: 04-90-61-84-43; Directions: Arriving to Mormoiron on D942, turnoff to gravel road on south side, opposite side of direction to village. Look closely for signage. Website

U.S. Distributor: Bond Street Imports, Website

Domaine de Fondrèche:  Cotes du Ventoux Persia, 90% Syrah (from 50-year-old vines) and 10% Mourvedre. Consistently one of the top quality producers in the Ventoux. Robert Parker at the Wine Advocate raves about this estate, and loves this blend: “Abundant notes of blackberries and cassis interwoven with hints of espresso roast, white chocolate and acacia flowers are found in this tightly knit, full-bodied, impressive 2010. Tasting like a top-flight northern Rhone Hermitage rather than a wine from the Cotes du Ventoux..”

Address: 2589 La venue Saint Pierre de Vassols – 84380 Mazan, Tel . 04 90 69 61 42, Wine Cellar open Monday to Friday from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m., take D163 north from Mazan. Website

Importer: Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 832-9083, Website

 

Olivier B: La Première: 100% Syrah, matured 18 months in barrels, only 1000 bottles every two years, massive structure, dense fruit, and obscenely rich, distinct chocolate notes. Wines grown in organic tradition and harvested by hand.

Olivier B’s ‘auteur’ wines find their way to some of the better restaurant tables in Provence. A passion for self-expression asserts itself in Olivier’s blog where he pretty much says what’s on his mind, and in the dedications printed on the labels of his bottles. Logo: A black silhouette of Olivier B wearing a short brim African straw hat.

Wine Shop: Center of Villes sur Auzon, next to the bakery. Open Friday, 4-7 p.m., Saturday 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., 4-7 p.m., and Sunday 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (Hwy 942 east from Carpentras)

Tel: 04-90-61-72-07 or 06-25-39-08-60 Email: obvigneron@free.fr, Blog

 

Château Pesquié: Quintessence (Pesquie’s top cuvee), 80% Syrah and 20% Grenache, aged 12 months in oak, and bottled unfiltered. Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate flipped over this bottle: “Its dense opaque ruby/purple color is followed by sweet aromas of blackberries, blueberries, charcoal, and acacia flowers. Dense, thick, unctuously textured, exuberant, and ostentatious, this terrific wine can be enjoyed over the next 3-5 years.” The Quintessence is full-bodied with a clean finish.

The approach to Château Pesquié, the largest estate in the Ventoux, is impressive, its grandeur and scale summon up properties in the Châteauneuf du Pape.

Address: Route de Flassan, 84570 Mormoiron, Tél. 04 90 61 94 08, Wine shop is open all year long from Monday to Saturday included from 9 to 12 a.m and from 2 to 6 p.m and everyday from Easter until September 30th. Website Directions: Take D144 north from Mormoiron. Check out Gary V’s Wine Library videos on Pesquié Wine Tastings, such as this one with Fredrich Pesquié here,

Importer: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565, Website

LUBERON SYRAHS  (in no particular order)

Château Val-Joanis, Château Val-Joanis Rouge, 90% Syrah, 10% Grenache. Balanced, well-rounded and smooth with concentrated fruit of black currants and cassis, and a clean finish.

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Château Val-Joanis is one of the renowned properties in the Luberon. Located on the site of a Roman villa where wines were once delivered to Rome, the property and the vineyards underwent major renovations and rehabilitation beginning in 1977. The vineyard of 145 acres extends up to an altitude of 1640 feet, the highest plots are called Les Griottes. The Château welcomed Anthony Bourdain and his “No Reservations” Travel Channel crew (photo above). Lovely wine shop open in July and August everyday from 10 am to 7 pm.

Address: Puget-sur-Durance, Directions: Enter Merindol take Direction Lauris-Pertuis. After 6,6 Km, turn left, direction Les Baumes (C12), and 0.8 Km, take a right, direction Lotissement Les Baumes (D 173). After 0.8 Km, enter the Bastide de la Verrerie by a small bridge on the left. Tel: 04-90-08-32-98, Website

Importer: Wineberry, NY, (212) 481-0322, Website

Château Fontvert: Les Restanques rouge, 70% Syrah, 15% Grenache Noir, 15% Mourvèdre. Deep purple color, aromas of red fruit and soft spices, round, well-balanced with very dense blackberry and black currants and a clean finish (With 20% less Syrah than some of the other cuvees, the spices are softer and rounder).

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Address: Chemin de Pierrouret, Lourmarin, Tel: 04 90 68 35 83, Cellar open May – September From May to September, Monday to Friday : 9 am – 6.30 pm, and Saturday : 10.30 am – 12.30 am and 3 pm – 6.30 pm. Website

Directions: Just as you leave the village of Lourmarin towards Bonnieux and Apt on D943, the Chemin on the left. Easy to locate once you are in Lourmarin. Note: The Avignon Wine Tour visits the Château Fontvert on its Tuesday Circuit.

Importer: Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena, CA; tel. (707) 963-9661 (not released)

Château La Verrerie: The Grand Deffand Red, 95% Syrah and 5% Grenache, is a wine of great complexity with intense fruit and aromas of black currant, toasted coffee and leather.

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If you have one Syrah to take away with you from the Vaucluse, this one gets PVB’s nod. An astonishing site and vineyard of 45 acres renovated and reinvigorated by Jean-Louis Descours and his son Gérard. When the Descours assumed control in 1981, a wine cooperative accepted the property’s entire production.

Address: 84360 Puget-sur-Durance, Directions: Enter Merindol take Direction Lauris-Pertuis. After 6,6 Km, turn left, direction Les Baumes (C12), and 0.8 Km, take a right, direction Lotissement Les Baumes (D 173). After 0.8 Km, enter the Bastide de la Verrerie by a small bridge on the left. Tel: 04-90-08-32-98, Website Note: Avignon Wine Tours visits this estate on its Tuesday wine circuit.

Marrenon: Grand Marrenon, Cotes du Luberon, 70% Syrah and 30% Grenache from old, high altitude vines aged in 30% new French oak. Deep purple in color, smooth tannins, and reasonable price points. Marrenon is a cooperative of 2000 wine growers taking in 15,000 acres of vineyards. They produce three Syrah-based cuvees. Website

Address for Wine Shop: Boulevard St Roch, 84240 La Tour d’Aigues, Tel 4 90 07 27 47, Open Monday to Saturday from 8.30a.m. to 12.30 2.30p.m. to 7p.m. Open on Sundays and public holidays from 9a.m. to 12.30.

Importer: Kappys Importing and Distributing Company, Everett MA, Email info@kappys.com. Website

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La Bastide du Claux, La Motte d’Aigues: 100% Syrah L’Orientale, rich and exquisite Syrah from this quality estate of Ludmilla and Sylvain Morey. Popular choice among ‘bonnes tables’ in the Luberon.

Address: Campagne le Claux, 84240 La Motte d’Aigues, Tel 04-90-77-70-26, E-mail : contact@bastideduclaux.fr, Website

Located in the eastern Vaucluse: Directions: Take route D37 south from the village, left on Chemin du Claux,  follow signage.

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Mazan: Auberge du Vin Hosts Wine and Cuisine Pros on April 24; Debuts Half-Day Courses For Priming Visitors on Rhone Wines

by BB Kuett on April 15, 2013

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It began with a concept, a sort of wine-and-cuisine-as-community on a Vaucluse-scale togetherness: bring together high-energy talents whose services and products may enhance the sojourns of clients of hotel/gites/chambre d’hote owners as well as those who live in the region over the summer.

Organized and hosted by the Auberge du Vin, a wine school and bed & breakfast in Mazan, 16 miles northeast of Avignon with a splendid view of Mont Ventoux across an ocean of vineyards, the  “Portes Ouvertes” will be held Wednesday, April 24 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The line-up:

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Madeleine Montabert, Chef

 Pascal Poulain, Chef

 Mike Rijken, Wine Safari Tours

 Alain Lesomptier, Ventoux Découvertes

Joanna King, Winemaker, Chateau Unang,

 Marie-Agnès Jacquet, Mosaic Academy

 

Host Linda Field, Wine Instructor, Auberge du Vin

Glasses of sparkling wine, amuse-gueules and wine tastings will accompany the discussions. See below for contact details.

- Half-Day Primer on Rhône Valley Wines -

Start off a visit to the Vaucluse by jumpstarting your knowledge of Rhône wines with a well-structured half-day course at the Auberge du Vin. The experience will focus your palate and enlarge your knowledge of various wine grape varieties and wine styles, as well as give you guidance on stocking your gite with quality local wines.

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An exercise in concentrating your “wine-mind,” the primer is held in a dedicated-classroom with views of vineyards and the majestic Mont Ventoux. Couches and a tasting bar make for a convivial atmosphere.

Each session covers an overview of Rhône Valley grape varieties and styles, professional skills of analyzing wine and pairing it with appropriate foods; tasting, assessing and discussing at least 6 different Rhône Valley wines.

The Rhône Valley wine primers are scheduled any morning of the week for a minimum of two at 45€ per person, and 40€ per person for groups of 3-8 (wine and amuse-bouches included).

Basics:

The Auberge du Vin is the home of Linda Field and Christopher Hunt, who welcome guests year round for wine holidays and wine courses within a converted French farmhouse and a cottage for lodging guests. The Auberge du Vin offers WSET (Wine and Spirits Education Trust) multi-level qualifications. See www.wsetglobal.com. The WSET qualifications are recognized throughout the world. Linda, a WSET-qualified wine teacher, has taught wine courses and judged wine competitions in London.

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Auberge du Vin, 384 Chemin de la Peryrière, 84380, Mazan, Tel: 04-90-61-62-84, Email: info@aubergeduvin.com, Website

Directions: Located approximately 30 minutes’ drive northeast of Avignon off of Route D942 that runs between Carpentras and Mazan. Turn north – check for signage; consult map on website.

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Haute Cuisine Bourgeoise (HCB) to Book in Le Beaucet, Goult, Bonnieux and Saignon

by BB Kuett on April 12, 2013

L’Auberge du Beaucet, Le Beaucet: Among gastronomes, the Auberge du Beaucet has consistently been a must table to book during the summer season. Under new management since last year, the Auberge has returned to its original dining space – a charming and intimate room with a fireplace – and lost nothing of its caché.

Now under the direction of chef Clément Bazin, who was “chef de cuisine” at the Château des Fines Roches in Châteauneuf du Pape. The new maître d’hôtel is Amélie L’hôte, a pastry specialist, who worked at the Prévoté à l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgues, and the Château des Fines Roches.
Parking: Follow signs to village.

As you approach the village on an incline, park in the lot on your left, a few yards down and across from the Beaucet Bakery. You will notice “Auberge” sign jutting out from edifice above. Proceed up the stairs.

L’Auberge du Beaucet, Menus at 39€ and 47€, Closed Sunday evening and all day Monday, Tel 04-90-66-10-82, Website. Note: Art expositions of Sébastien Calandrini and Henny Fonteyn.

La Bartavelle, Goult.

Chef Gérard Lefevre serves up a superb dining experience at this intimate restaurant on a quiet street in the village.

A fixed price menu of 40€ includes an entrée, a main course and a choice of cheese or dessert. Diners also have a choice of a special daily market course, such as a rack of lamb with light curry served with grilled zucchini, chorizo and almonds.

The wine list includes AOC Ventoux white, Luberon rosé, Luberon reds and Cote du Rhone red. Bistroh style with an art deco bar and terrace dining.

Directions: At the center of the village park in front of the church, then proceed past the “Café de la Poste” and take a right on the first street (rue du Cheval Blanc) across from a small grocery store.

Restaurant La Bartavelle, Rue du Cheval Blanc, 84220 Goult. Diner only as of 7:45 p.m. Reservations recommended as there are 24 ‘couverts’ each evening: Tél: 04 90 72 33 72, Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Website

 

Le Fournil, Bonnieux

Situated in the middle of the village, on the right side as you climb up into the village, there is a large shaded terrace and an authentic 17th century fountain. Le Fournil is set in a natural troglodytic cave.

The décor is lively and modern, contrasting to the ancient rock cave walls.

Chef Guy Malebec prepares sumptuous dishes elegantly presented. Menus: Lunch 22.80€ and 27.80€ , Dinner 44€ and 49€ . Closed Monday and Saturday lunch.

Address: 5 Place Carnot, Bonnieux, Tél. 04 90 75 83 62, Website

La Petite Cave, Saignon

Chef Andrew Goldsby heralds from Birmingham. After catering school, he apprenticed with various chefs, including Raymond Blanc in Oxford and Gérard Basset in Birmingham, a Worldwide Sommelier of the Year award winner. In 2002, he opened a small restaurant at a B&B in Saignon.

The structure is a 12th century house that formed part of the ancient fortification of Saignon, a village that sits above Apt with a sweeping view of the Calavon valley. After nearly three years of renovation, La Petite Cave opened in 2009. Andrew heads to market each day and composes a menu for the week.

The dining space is softy-lit with a 12th Century cellar of soothing white tones: alabaster stone walls form an arched ceiling, white linens drape well-spaced tables framed by black leather chairs.

Chef Andrew Goldsby is joined by Alasdair Moore, maître d’hôtel.

Address: La Petite Cave, Rue le Quai, 84400 Saignon, Open for Dinner Only Tuesday to Saturday, Reservation Recommended, Tel: 04 90 76 64 92; Email: lapetitecave@lapetitecave-saignon.com, there is a 3 course menu @ €29 & 2 course @ €24, Website, Parking available in center of the village.

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