Domaine de la Damase, a Family-run Winery for 5 Generations in the Côtes du Rhône

A few months ago, I came back to the office and Cluney, my partner at Bistro Des Copains told me that while I was out, Kenny from Hobo Wine Company had stopped in with a young Frenchman whose family owns a winery near our house in Sablet.

Cluney handed me Sébastien's card and told me he extended an invitation for us to visit and taste wines the next time we were there. A few weeks later we were back, and one day after lunch we headed to Domaine de la Damase in Violès with friends Scott and Jean-Pierre in tow.

Domaine de la Damase

As I mentioned, Domaine de la Damase is located in Violès, a small village in front of the Dentelles de Montmirail. The village is surrounded by a sea of vineyards. Quite truthfully, prior to today, we had never stopped in Violès, I guess because it's the last village before Sablet from the toll road, and we are in a hurry to get home.

Courtyard at Domaine de la Damase

The Latour family has been making wine at Domaine de la Damase since 1872 when the estate was purchased. Sébastien Latour works the vineyards and makes wine with parents Bernadette and Serge. He is the 5th generation of the Latour family to make wine there.

House at Domaine de la Damase

Domaine de la Damase is small (they have about 30 acres of vineyards), organically farmed, and might have remained obscure to Americans, at least, if it weren’t for Kenny Likitprakong, a Sonoma County winemaker and owner of Hobo Wine Company who befriended the Latour family and imports some of their wines.

Sébastien did a one-year internship with Kenny Likitprakong in Santa Cruz in 2002 which was the first vintage for Hobo Wine Company.

Pretty Petunias in a Stone Planter at Domaine de la Damase

World War II Ordinance Found in Field

Sébastien took us to a room filled with the heady aroma of wine. He pulled wine for tasting in a long pipette from the top of oak barrels full of Grenache and Mourvedre aging until ready for bottling.

Sébastien Latour Fills Glasses From Barrel

Old Wine Barrels

Domaine de la Damase Barrel Room

In the middle of our tasting, Sébastien's 98 year old grandfather Joffre walked into the "cave" (tasting room) and took a glass from Sébastien. We said "bonjour" and commented about the wine. He responded but we couldn't understand and Sébastien explained that he only speaks Provençal, a dialect of the Occitan language, spoken in the southeast part of France.

Joffre Latour

Joffre Latour seems to be a remarkable person for a man of 98 years of age; maybe there is some truth to the French paradox and red wine.

Shirley with Joffre Latour

Joffre Latour Walking in the Courtyard

The wines of Domaine de la Damase

Sébastien and his parents make wines labeled as Côtes du Rhône and Côtes du Rhône Villages Plan-de-Dieu. They also make single varietal bottlings of Grenache and Mourvedre, which because they put “Grenache” and "Mourvedre" on the label instead of Côtes du Rhône, French law says these wines are technically “Vin de Pays de Vaucluse."

They also make and package “Vin de Pays de Vaucluse" red, white and rosé wines in the "Le Bag in Box" format.

Shirley and I with Sébastien Latour

Upon our return from France, we added the 2011 Côtes du Rhône, a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Carignane, to our wine list at Bistro Des Copains. Modestly priced, it pairs very well with our daube, rabbit, macaroni and cheese, pissaladière or braised lamb shank like I had Friday night.

A Pretty Wine Barrel

Our favorite wineries are those that make good wines and with whom we develop a connection with the winemaker's family and staff. I would add Domaine de la Damase to that list.

If you are in the area, you should go by and meet Sébastien and taste the Domaine de la Damase wines. If you can't do that, come to Bistro Des Copains and order a glass or bottle of the 2011 Côtes du Rhône.

Domaine de la Damase
271 Route d'Orange
84150 Violès
France
06 19 13 37 85

Have a great day! Chat Soon.

Bragging on Bistro Des Copains

OK, all of you who read Our House in Provence blog regularly probably get a little tired of my mentioning the little French country bistro called Bistro Des Copains that I co-own with friends in Occidental, California.

Well two weeks ago, we received an unexpected visit from the food critic for the Press Democrat, our local newspaper here in Northern California. We figured out who the diner was pretty quickly because of the number of dishes they ordered to eat. I say "they" because Mr. Cox came into dine with John Ash, one of the most recognizable chefs, authors and teachers in Northern California.

Chef John Ash is known as the “Father of Wine Country Cuisine”. In 1980 Chef John Ash opened his namesake restaurant, John Ash in Santa Rosa, CA. It was the first restaurant in Northern California wine country to focus on local, seasonal ingredients used to create dishes that complemented the wines being made in the region.

We have been waiting on pins and needles since that night for the review to appear. Then last Friday, the Press Democrat sent out a staff photographer to take pictures of the Bistro and some of the dishes we serve. So we knew that the review would be on the paper's website and in the Sunday edition soon.

Well here it is folks; the review was posted on the Press Democrat's website this morning and will appear in print on Sunday in the Living Section. Except for the Apple Tart Tatin which was obviously not good the night he was there, I am pleased with Jeff Cox's review. Make sure you check out the photo gallery with his review. What do you think? When you read the review and see the gallery pictures, you will see why I posted a picture of our Pissaladière; looks pretty good, no?

Have a great weekend. À bientôt.

Le Clos du Caillou, a wonderful enclave of Côtes du Rhône in Châteauneuf-du-Pape

We were headed to Châteauneuf-du-Pape, a French wine Appellation located around the village of the same name in the Rhône wine region in Provence. It is one of the most renowned Appellations of France. Vineyards are located around Châteauneuf-du-Pape and in the neighboring villages of Bédarrides, Courthézon and Sorgues between the towns of Avignon and Orange and cover slightly more than 3,200 hectares or 7,900 acres.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape roughly translates to "The Pope's new castle" and the history of the Appellation is firmly intertwined with papal history. In 1308, Pope Clement V, former Archbishop of Bordeaux, moved the papacy from Rome to the town of Avignon. At that time, wine produced from grapes grown around the area was not anything to write home about.

Clement V was succeeded by John XXII who regularly drank wines from the vineyards to the north of Avignon and did much to improve viticulture practices there. Under John XXII, the wines of this area came to be known as "Vin du Pape" which translates to wine of the Pope, this term later became Châteauneuf-du-Pape. John XXII is also responsible for erecting the famous castle which stands over the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and is a symbol for the Appellation.

At its highest point, the Châteauneuf-du-Pape Appelation reaches 120 meters elevation. There are at least three distinct types of soil or terroirs. In the north and north-east the famous galets roulés, round rocks or pebbles cover the clay soil. The rocks are famous for retaining the heat from the plentiful sun, some 2800 hours a year, releasing it at night, ripening the grapes faster than in the eastern part of the Appellation, where the soil is mostly sand, as well as to the south where the soil is more gritty.

Red and white wine is produced in Châteauneuf-du-Pape with the large majority of the wines produced being red. The Appellation rules do not allow rosé wines. The Châteauneuf-du-Pape Appellation is traditionally said to allow thirteen grape varieties to be used, but the 2009 version of the Appellation rules list eighteen varieties, since white, rose and black versions of some grapes are now explicitly listed as separate varieties.

Both red and white grape varieties are allowed in both red and white Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine. There are no rules about the proportion of grape varieties that can be used and unlike many other appellations, permitted grape varieties are not differentiated as principal varieties and accessory varieties. Thus, it is theoretically possible to make Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine from any of the eighteen allowed varieties. In reality, most Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines are blends with a majority of Grenache.

We were headed to Le Clos du Caillou to visit and taste wines at this winery which makes one of my favorite French wines at Bistro Des Copains, the French country bistro I co-own with friend Cluney in Occidental, California. We have served their Côtes du Rhône, a tasty blend of largely Grenache, by the glass for the last several years; it pairs well with many of our classic bistro dishes.

Le Clos du Caillou winery is located in the commune of Courthézon. As you can see on the map above, the winery is adjacent to the boundary for the Châteauneuf-du-Pape Appellation.

Le Clos du Caillou has 44 hectares or 109 acres classified as Côtes du Rhône and 9 hectares or 22 acres in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape Appellation.

The winery is owned by Sylvie Vacheron. Formerly hunting grounds surrounded by walls, Sylvie's father Claude Pouizin purchased the property in 1956 and cleared woodlands and planted vines on the best located parcels. The vineyards have been expanded since through additional planting and purchase of land.

In 1995, Sylvie and her husband Jean-Denis Vacheron, a member of a family of wine growers in Sancerre in the Loire Valley took over the winery from her father. Tragically, Jean-Denis' was killed in an accident in 2002 and since that time, Sylvie has been sole proprietor of Le Clos du Caillou.

Le Clos du Caillou has a small well lit room for dégustation or tasting wine.

Shirley and I tasted through all of the domaine's wines that day and left with a case of the 2009 Les Safres, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rouge for our cellar in Sablet. Although the wine was delicious, we have left the bottles to age for a few years before we open a bottle.

I should mention that a case of wine in France is 6 bottles rather than the 12 bottles we get from California wineries or those shipped from France to the US.

After we finished our tasting, the young lady who poured our wines offered to take us on a tour of the cellars. Le Clos du Caillou has 4 underground cellars excavated out of soft sandstone.

Sylvie is assisted by wine-maker Bruno Gaspard. The red wines are aged in large casks and oak barrels for a year or more in the domaine's cellars which naturally retain a temperature of between 13 and 15 Celsius or 55 to 59 Fahrenheit.

The owner of the property where Le Clos du Caillou is today refused in 1936 to let the expert charged with determining the boundaries for the Châteauneuf-du-Pape Appellation visit his property so Le Clos du Caillou property was not included in the Appellation. Today, Le Clos du Caillou is an enclave of Côtes du Rhône surrounded by Châteauneuf-du-Pape Appellation.

With terroir identical to the Châteauneuf-du-Pape Appellation which surrounds Le Clos du Caillou, it is not surprising that the domaine's Côtes du Rhône wines have a richness and finesse very similar to Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines.

As is typical for wineries in the eastern part of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape Appellation, the soils that surround the Le Clos du Caillou winery are sandy. As of 2010, the vineyards and production of wine at Le Clos du Caillou is certified as Organic.

They are now in the process of getting the vineyards certified as Biodynamic, a method of organic farming that emphasizes the holistic development and interrelationships of the soil, plants and animals as a self-sustaining system.

If you are near Châteauneuf-du-Pape, don't hesitate to go visit and taste at this winery; I guarantee you won't be disappointed. And if you happen to come and dine at Bistro Des Copains or you are at another restaurant that has Le Clos du Caillou on the wine list, order it; you will be happy you did.

After thinking so much about great wine as I wrote this post, I think I need to go and pour myself a glass of red wine. Bonne journée mes amis et à bientôt. Have a great week.

A little bragging on our Bistro Des Copains

As those of you who have been reading my ramblings over the past few years know, I am co-owner with my good friend Cluney of a small bistro in Occidental, California called Bistro Des Copains.

We opened the bistro a little more than five years ago. For those of you who own or may have owned restaurants know, it is not easy to make a go of a restaurant especially the last few years with the bad economy. That certainly holds true for us.

However, despite the ups and downs of the economy and associated challenges that brings to the restaurant business, we have always tried to make sure we are serving up great food and good time for our guests who come to the bistro, many so frequently, they are now dear friends.

Every year, in major cities in the United States and some foreign countries, Zagat, who was just bought by Google, publishes an annual dining guide with ratings and lists based upon feedback they get from restaurant diners.

We have a very hard working and loyal staff and we are very proud to say that the just published 2012 dining guide for the San Francisco Bay Area included our little bistro in its list of Top Spots in the San Francisco Bay Area.

We don't do super refined cuisine like the other Top Spots. We just try to deliver fabulous bistro cuisine using the best ingredients we can find with a generous welcoming spirit.

So you can imagine, it is very gratifying to get formal recognition that diners appreciate what we do at Bistro Des Copains. Here's my wish to you that all of your dining experiences are great ones. Bon appétit et à bientôt mes amis.

Yummy Baked Macaroni with Cheese

As frequent readers of Our House in Provence blog know, I am co-owner of Bistro Des Copains, a small French bistro in Occidental, California located about 60 miles north of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. One of the items on the menu since the day we opened a little over 5 years ago is a yummy baked macaroni with cheese.

The Bistro's baked macaroni and cheese is a favorite of guests, for young diners who enjoy the dish as a main course as well as for adult diners who order the dish as a side to share with table mates to accompany their main course.

At the end of the night, when I am in a mood for something simple and delish, I often order the baked macaroni with cheese with a side of veggies usually haricots verts amandine. The latter dish lets me say I ate something healthful.

Wife Shirley is a registered nurse and works in a local acute care hospital. On Sundays, the nurses who work from 3 PM to 11:30 PM often bring in dishes to share for a pot luck meal. Shirley asked me this morning if I would be willing to make a big dish of baked macaroni with cheese for her to take for pot luck.

I would guess for most people in the US, when you say macaroni and cheese, they immediately think of the macaroni and cheese dish which comes in a blue box from Kraft, a favorite childhood dish for many. Preparing a delicious homemade version of baked macaroni with cheese is easy so I decided to share my recipe along with pictures of the various steps.

Ingredients

1 16-oz box of elbow macaroni
5 cups whole milk (you can substitute 2 % low fat milk), brought to light boil,then reduce to simmer.
2 ounces butter
1/2 cup flour
3 cups grated Gruyère cheese
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated white pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

My version of baked macaroni with cheese is not exactly the same as the Bistro's but it is equally delicious. Start by gathering all of the ingredients together for your "mise en place" a French term which literally means "putting in place" everything you will need to make the baked macaroni with cheese.

A close up of my mise en place for the baked macaroni with cheese with a large green heirloom tomato, vase of basil and Roma tomatoes I got this morning at the market.

Start by melting the butter in a sauce pan.

When the butter is melted and bubbles subside,

add the flour and begin to whisk, a flat whisk works best for stirring food in the corners of the pan, until a pale smooth roux is formed. I take the pan off the heat while I whisk the flour into the melted butter.

Either before you melt your butter or while you are making the roux, you should bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil and cook the elbow macaroni until it is done to taste. Drain well! Sprinkle with a little olive oil (2 tablespoons will do) and stir to keep the macaroni from sticking together while you finish your béchamel sauce.

Pour one ladle full of warm milk into your roux and stir till smooth then add the next ladle of milk and stir. Keep repeating this process until all of the milk is incorporated into the roux; continue whisking until the sauce thickens and bubbles gently.

Add all the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, 2 cups of grated Gruyère cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg and stir until the cheese is completely incorporated into the béchamel sauce.

Pour the béchamel sauce with the grated cheese over the macaroni.

Mix thoroughly.

Butter a 10 x 14 inch baking dish.

Pour the macaroni mixture into the buttered dish.

Place the baking dish into an oven preheated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bake the macaroni for 12 minutes and remove from the oven; cover the surface of the macaroni with the remaining 1 cup of grated Gruyère cheese. Return to oven.

Bake the macaroni until golden brown on the surface, approximately 12 minutes.

Over the years, chefs at the Bistro have tried different combination of cheeses and topped the macaroni with bread crumbs or small croutons to give the macaroni more crunch. However, I like this way the best.

I have seen versions of baked macaroni with cheese in other restaurants with bacon, others with mustard, and of course different cheese combinations but I have not found a version that I like better.

What variations do you like with your baked macaroni with cheese? Let me know. I have shown you exactly how to make my version so I know this will turn out great for you. I hope you enjoy.

Bon appétit mes amis et à bientôt.

Shameless bragging about our Bistro Des Copains

If you have been following Our House in Provence blog, you know that I am co-owner with friend Cluney of a small French bistro in Occidental, California called Bistro Des Copains.

We have been fortunate to have many excellent reviews about the Bistro posted by diners on web sites such as Yelp, Zagat, and Trip Advisor and great reviews by critics such as Jeff Cox for the Press Democrat. But no videos to my knowledge.

That changed a a few weeks back when Kaye Cloutman who writes a wonderful blog called Clout and About came to visit the Bistro with two friends. She posted a charming cute video about their visit on You Tube which I have to share with you.

I should mention that last weekend, we celebrated the fifth anniversay of Bistro Des Copains being in business. We owe so much to our employees for their hard work and support during the past five years. especially to Ty, Julia, Allison, Debbie and Earl who have been there for us the entire five years.

We have made many for ever friends among our frequent diners. I hope that you will come to visit us at Bistro Des Copains if your travels bring you to our little part of the world in Northern California.

Bon Appétit et à bien·tôt.

Stephanie's Birthday at Bistro Des Copains

Last night, daughter Stephanie and two of her BFF and spouses invaded Bistro Des Copains, the small French bistro I co-own with friends Cluney and Ferney in Occidental, California to celebrate her 29th birthday. Wife Shirley and I were invited too.

I think it is fair to say we all had a great time. I didn't take any pictures of the food but as I recall starters included butter leaf salad with creamy vinaigrette, dungeness crab beignets, escargots, and roasted beet salad with micro greens.

Main courses included steak and frites, rabbit in a mustard sauce over noodles, roasted red beet and Redwood Hill Farm goat cheese ravioli with braised chard and a lemon sage butter sauce, braised lamb shank over lentils and pan roasted duck breast over mashed potatoes with a blueberry sauce.

In the picture below, daughter Stephanie in the middle with BFF Andrea on the left and BFF Katie on the right.

Darling daughter Stephanie and husband Earl.

BFF Andrea with husband Richard. Richard is a fellow blogger and writes on healthy living at Richard's Health Musings. They have an adorable baby girl named Zori.

BFF Katie and husband Brandon. They have an adorable baby boy named Brady. They are looking for tips on how to get a baby to sleep through the night.

Shirley and me. Besides darling Stephanie, we have another beautiful daughter named Tricia and we have four adorable grandchildren; Avery, Dylan, Caedon and Madison.

Stephanie with her new baby Madison. Madison was so sweet and a huge hit with the diners last night at Bistro Des Copains. Brother Dylan was home with a friend.

Stephanie is the planner in the family and makes sure we never have a chance to get bored, and that we are always looking forward to the next family vacation. She loves to eat and have a good time so it was nice to have her and her BFFs at Bistro Des Copains.

Life has been great for the first 29 years but I am quite sure the best years are still ahead. Happy birthday dear Stephanie. We love you.

Bonne journée et a bientôt.