Villa Saint-Antoine, Violès

As soon as we arrive in Sablet, we visit Le Pain Médiéval Boulangerie manned by Jeannine and Julien, then proceed to Votre Marché owned by Mimi and Alain, and Café des Sports owned by Bruno Bordeaux, in hopes our friends will be there so we can "faire la bise" and say "bonjour" and quickly catch up. On our most recent visit, several asked if we had heard about a new restaurant called "Villa Saint-Antoine?"

I responded no, and asked where it was located? I was intrigued that it's located nearby in Violès, a small village we drive through on our way to and from Avignon, about 4 miles from Sablet. They also informed us the restaurant is expensive, so they had not dined there but we should try it out and let them know how it is.

As faithful readers of the blog know, we gravitate toward Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurants, all restaurants which are Michelin inspector's favorites for very good value, offering three-course menus for 33 Euros or less outside of Paris. In Paris, the cutoff is 37 Euros. So although the restaurant was described as too expensive for locals, we decided to take one for the team and go try it out.

So one Friday, we headed to Villa Saint-Antoine, which we discovered is adjacent to Lavau winery on the Route de Cairanne, just outside Violès. You enter into Lavau to get to the restaurant, so it seems they are connected which they are not.

Entrance to Villa Saint-Antoine, Violes

After you enter through the entryway with tall columns on each side, you are in a beautifully landscaped garden like space that is optimally planned to minimize the impact on the environment.

View from the terrace dining area to the pool and cabanas

Villa Saint-Antoine was opened in July 2018 and is both a restaurant and a 4-room chambre d'hôtes (bed and breakfast) including pool, cabanas, and children's playground. Villa Saint-Antoine has a garden in Montmoiron which supplies fruits and vegetables for the kitchen.

Children's Playground

On that first visit to Villa Saint-Antoine, we were seated on the terrace under large parasols which provide shade for diners but also capture rain and put it into the ground through a tube in the center pole to water the garden areas. We were entertained during our first visit by the Patrouille de France, the precision aerobatic demonstration team of the French Air Force that I told you about here.

Dining al fresco

The restaurant sure looked like an expensive place so we were pleasantly pleased to see the price for a three-course lunch was 26 Euros. I said our first visit because we returned again for lunch with cousins Jean-Marc and Christine on a Saturday and for dinner where we were seated in the dining room to celebrate a birthday with friends. The pictures which follow are from our three visits.

Black and green olives and black olive tapenade amuse bouche

Amuse bouche

Eggplant confit with frisee and cherry tomato salad with anchovy vinaigrette

Soft fresh chèvre with julienne of pumpkin and accompanying pitcher of puree of pumpkin and ginger

Soft fresh chèvre with the puree of pumpkin and fresh ginger and julienne of pumpkin

Mushrooms and poached egg

Fillet of Fletan (Halibut) with turnips, broccoli puree and jus de boeuf

I was impressed with the servers attention to details. The server heard me say something to Shirley about vegetarian and non-meat options (in English), and when a runner delivered our main courses to the table, the above Fillet of Fletan (Halibut), Shirley's had a different sauce than mine. He offered that the server heard me say I was happy about the vegetarian and non-meat options, and the Fletan is sauced with beef "juice" so the chef substituted a vegetarian sauce for your wife.

Carrots and Beef in wine sauce

Side dish of vegetables which accompanied main courses

Fletan (Halibut) with crushed potatoes, arugula with Asian vinaigrette with vegetables

Fig tart with vanilla ice cream

St. Honoré cake

Carpaccio of pineapple and mango with lime-zest served with pineapple basil sorbet

The meals ended with a plate of mignardises, little bite-sized desserts served in some French restaurants at the end of the meal with coffee.

Mignardises

The food was delicious and service warm and professional. The servers knew our birthday guests and by the end of our third meal, we were known there too. I highly recommend you dine here if you happen to be spending time in or around Sablet. I am confident that you will have a wonderful time.

The days of operation are somewhat in flux as they figure out what is optimal in terms of customer demand. They said they are thinking about offering Sunday brunch and daily petit dejeuner (breakfast) for the general public and adding a second price option for dinner meals. So stay tuned.

Villa Saint-Antoine
533 Route de Cairanne
84150 Violès
France
Tel: +33490641756
website: www.villasaintantoine.com

Villa Saint-Antoine is one of a number of excellent restaurants near us in Provence. If you are considering a visit to France in 2019, and living the life of a local for a short period of time, we would be honored if you would consider our home. You can find everything you need to know at www.sablethouse.com. Please contact us for further information at chcmichel@aol.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

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.