Great Article about Wines from the Southern Côtes du Rhône

This is an unusual post for me because I am not including any pictures or personal experience. I just want to tell you that there is a very good article in the New York Times about wines from the Southern Côtes du Rhône especially wines made in Rasteau and Cairanne. These villages are rising stars in the Southern Côtes du Rhône and are very close to Sablet.

I have written previously about our visits to Cairanne and Rasteau and to several of the domaines mentioned in this article. If you are going to be in Sablet or in the Southern Côtes du Rhône, go visit these villages and do some tasting. If you are looking for new wines, look for wines from Cairanne and Rasteau, especially wines from the 2010 vintage.

Thank you friend Bruce from Villedieu for letting me know about the article. Bonne journée mes amis et à bientôt. Have a great day, chat soon!

Market Day and Lunch in Carpentras

Today is Friday - market day in Carpentras, a large town about 20 kms south of Sablet with one of the best markets in the area. As we get close to Carpentras, we can see Notre Dame de l'Observance towering over the town. Originally a Roman settlement, Carpentras became an important religious town under Papal rule.

Other than the 18th century Hôtel-Dieu at Place Aristide Briand, the Synagogue said to be the oldest in France dating from 1367 at Place Maurice Charretier and the Roman Arch dating from the first century AD near the Cathedral, there is not much to see in Carpentras.

We pass through Carpentras when we are headed to Venasque or to the Luberon but generally don't stop unless it's market day. The market is large and spreads out throughout the squares and narrow streets of the old town. From November through March, a large truffle market takes place at Place Aristide Briand.

After the market, we like to go to lunch at Chez Serge on rue Cottier just off of Avenue Jean Jaurès, one of the major roads that make a ring around the center of Carpentras and very near where a major section of the Friday morning market is set up.

The restaurant is owned by genial Serge Ghoukassian and offers a simple three-course l'Ardoise du Jour (slate of the day) for 15 Euros. Seating is available on a patio in front of the restaurant and on a second floor terrace on sunny days.

On this day, options for starters included a tomato tart accompanied by salad greens and

a crispy beggar's purse filled with goat's cheese accompanied by salad greens as well.

For main course, we both chose a fillet of cabillaud (cod) with mashed potatoes and beurre blanc sauce.

Dessert options included molten chocolate cake with a raspberry sauce and

Crème caramel.

As our meal drew to a close, the owner Serge Ghoukassian stopped by our table and we chatted about his summer truffle menu. He said "I want to show you something" and off he went and returned holding this plastic bin of black summer truffles. Suffice it to say, I have never seen so many truffles in one place.

Summer truffles are lighter in color and less flavorful than Black truffles and are harvested between May and August.

Accompanied by a bottle of rosé wine, it was a perfect lunch for a warm day in July.

Chez Serge Restaurant
90 Rue Cottier
84200 Carpentras
Tel: 04 90 63 21 24
www.chez-serge.fr

Sénanque Abbey, a pastoral setting in the Luberon

We think that if you are in the Vaucluse, that you should visit Gordes and Roussillon in the Luberon, two of the most beautiful villages of France. If you are lucky enough to be in Provence from late June through the middle of July, make sure you take time to visit nearby Sénanque Abbey.

The Sénanque Abbey is a beautiful Cistercian abbey located in a deep valley a short distance north of Gordes and well worth a visit anytime you are in the area. But right now is the perfect time to go as the lavender fields that stretch out from the Abbey are in full bloom.

You can drive to the Abbey from Gordes on the narrow D177 road or if you are feeling energetic you can hike there on the GR6 hiking trail. Along the way, you will come upon an "aerial" view of the Abbey down in the deep Senancole valley where the Sénanque Abbey is located.

As you can imagine, the distinctive fragrance of the lavender and buzz of bees fills the air.

Niece Leslie pauses for a moment to sniff the lavender.

Rows of lavender with the apse of the Sénanque Abbey in the background.

The Sénanque Abbey was founded in 1148 under the patronage of Alfant, bishop of Cavaillon, and Raymond Berenger II, Count of Provence, by Cistercian monks who came from Mazan Abbey in the Ardeche. In the 13th and 14th centuries, the Abbey reached its greatest height, operating four mills, seven granges and possessing large estates in Provence

During the Wars of Religion, the quarters for the lay brothers were destroyed and the Sénanque Abbey was ransacked by Huguenots. At the French Revolution, the Abbey's lands were nationalized, the one remaining monk was expelled and Sénanque itself was sold to a private individual.

The site was repurchased in 1854 for a new community of Cistercian monks of the Immaculate Conception, under a rule less stringent than that of the Trappists. The community was expelled in 1903 and departed to the Order's headquarters, Lerins Abbey on the island of St. Honorat, near Cannes. A small community returned in 1988.

The interior of the abbey church looking north toward the apse. The church is aligned to the north, instead of to the east, because of the narrow width of the valley in which it sits. The Sénanque Abbey does not have a main entrance door because the church was built only for the monks and lay brothers, not the public.

The cloister aisles are passages between the church, the dormitory and other parts of the Abbey.

The cloister forms an enclosed courtyard in the center of the Abbey, surrounded by the cloister aisles on all four sides.

The Sénanque Abbey is an active community with a handful of elderly monks. This is a room for meditation with a chair for each monk. The monks grow the lavender and tend to honey bees to earn income for living and upkeep of the Abbey.

The monk's dormitory at Sénanque Abbey is on the upper level of the north side between the entry and the church. It was built as a continuation of the transept in the church. The dormitory could house about 30 monks. The space for each monk is marked out by colored paving stones on the dormitory floor.

The Sénanque Abbey along with two other early Cistercian abbeys in Provence, Silvacane Abbey and Le Thoronet Abbey, are sometimes referred to as the "Three Sisters of Provence"

We have been to the Sénanque Abbey many times during different times of the year. Shirley was just saying that she recalls the first time we visited Senanque on a cold day in January and how we were struck by the beauty of the place even on a foggy morning.

So make sure you go to the Abbey, especially if you are lucky enough to be in the area now. Bonne journée mes amis et à bientôt. Have a great day, chat soon!

Domaine de Valdition, Historic Winery in the Alpilles

I remembered reading a blogger's post about Domaine de Valdition's rosé wine as we came across a sign along the road announcing the entrance to the winery just ahead. That day we were headed to lunch down the road at Sous les Micocouliers in nearby Eygalières.

As you travel down the road, you can see the village of Eygalières ahead, perched on a small hill with chateau ruins at the top. As you get closer, you can see the small houses which line the winding streets of the village.

Domaine de Valdition is located down the road from Eygalières and not far from Saint-Rémy de Provence in the heart of the Alpilles. As we drive around, we see vast olive groves, vineyards, pine and oak forests and flocks of sheep grazing in fields.

Between Eygalières and Domaine de Valdition sits the Romanesque Saint-Sixte chapel, which has been listed as an historic monument by the French government since 1971. The chapel dates back to the 12th century and stands, isolated, on top of a rocky mount. The chapel is supported by massive buttresses and topped by a bell-tower wall.

The chapel is dedicated to the martyred Pope Saint Sixte who was believed to have died in the 3rd century. A procession is organised each year on the Tuesday following Easter, during which Guardians from Camargue, riding white horses, and men and women dressed in Arles-style costumes carry an effigy of the Pope to the Saint Sixte chapel.

If you have been following Our House in Provence blog for a while and especially the posts about food and wine, you have probably figured out that we love rosé wines. The aforementioned blogger, and for the life of me, I can't recall who, wrote that Domaine de Valdition makes her favorite rosé wine. Since we were early for lunch, we decided to turn in and taste the Domaine's wines for ourselves.

During the Renaissance, François 1st, King of France gave the Domaine as a gift to his daughter Caroline du Prévot who married Sieur Dacla de Chateaubert and their family and heirs keep the estate going for the next five centuries.

The Domaine is planted with vineyards and olive groves are surrounded by pastures and pine and oak forests. The Domaine de Valdition vineyards are planted with a lot of different cépages - grape varieties.

The varieties include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, Grenache Noir, Marselan, Mourvèdre, Petit Verdot and Syrah for red wines, and Bourboulenc, Chasan, Grenache Blanc, Macabeu, Muscat Petit Grain, Roussane and Viognier for white wines.

There are 74 acres of olives groves planted with different varieties of trees for AOC Les Baux de Provence olive oil including Aglandau, Salonenque, Grossane and Verdale from the Bouches du Rhône. An olive called Bouteillan which came originally from the Var is planted on the Domaine too.

Shirley and friend John wait to enter the tasting room with me.

We taste through the various wines produced by the Domaine. They are are classified as Vin de Pays de Alpilles or A.O.C.Coteaux d’Aix en Provence.

We leave with a box of 2011 Vallon des Anges Rosé from the Coteaux d’Aix en Provence. The wine is pale in color and made of a blend of Grenache and Cinsault grapes.

We also buy bottles of AOC Les Baux de Provence olive oil and several ceramic pintades - guinea hens to add to our collection in the kitchen.

Thanks to the unknown blogger who wrote about Domaine de Valdition. We really liked the rosé wine and the delicious olive oil. I wish I could give credit to the proper author. If any of you are the ones who wrote, please remind me so I can correct this oversight.

Bonne journée mes amis et à bientôt. Have a great day, chat soon!

Domaine de Valdition
Route d'Eygalières
13660 Orgon
Tel: 04 90 73 08 12
www.valdition.com

Vaison-la-Romaine and Le Brin d'Olivier Restaurant

I convided that if you are in our corner of Provence, we think you should go to the Vaison-la-Romaine market on at least one Tuesday morning. There you will find an amazing assortment of fresh fruit, vegetables, olives, charcuterie, cheese, meats, fish and roasted meats and cooked foods to go.

While you are there, take the time to wander through the large fields of Roman ruins in the lower town and/or through the picturesque maze of tiny streets up to the castle at the top of the medieval upper town and enjoy the spectacular view out over Vaison-la-Romaine's new town.

The upper and lower towns are connected by this Roman Bridge dating to the 1st century over the Ouvèze River. One interesting thing about the Bridge is its single arch which spans 17.2 meters or 56.5 feet. It has withstood floods and except for the parapet which was rebuilt after the huge flood in 1992, the Bridge is as it was 2000 years ago.

At the end of the Roman Bridge on the medieval side, there is a large memorial to the children of Vaison-la-Romaine who died fighting for France during WWI and WWII.

Another reason we go to Vaison-la-Romaine is to eat at Le Brin d'Olivier restaurant which is located a few steps from the Roman Bridge in the lower town. We park along the Ouvèze River in the public parking lot facing the belfry tower with its 18th century wrought-iron bell cage.

For some reason, we end up most often at Le Brin d'Olivier on Sundays for lunch. The restaurant is the only one in Vaison-la-Romaine awarded a Bibb Gourmand by Michelin and included in the guide to Les Meilleures Adresses à Petit Prix, meaning you eat well for a good price.

The entrance to the restaurant through the patio into the dining room where guests are seated during warm weather.

The restaurant also has two dining rooms on the upper floor for use during cooler weather where we were seated when we went in late March. The tables in the small warm room with exposed wood beams on the ceiling were covered with white table cloths.

After looking over the menu, I chose the "Balade en Provence" menu for 29,00 Euros and Shirley went a la carte. We selected a 50 cl bottle of the 2010 Chateau de Paradis, Terre des Anges rosé, a very nice blend of Grenache Noir, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

We were brought an amuse bouche of Suprise Crème de Tomates with Espelette along with a basket of house-baked bread.

For our first course, I chose the Oeuf poché à la crème de broccoli with a lemon sugar - poached egg with cream of broccoli soup. Shirley passed on the poached egg and had the cream of broccoli soup since she doesn't like poached eggs. The soup was delicious with a distinct lemon note.

Shirley waiting patiently for her main course to be served.

A little poodle waiting patiently too for little tidbits to fall to the floor.

For her first course, Shirley chose the Fiilet de Turbot roti sur poelle de legumes d'automne, echalotes confites - fillet of turbot roasted on autumn vegetables such as Zucchini and mushrooms in a rich mushroom broth with shallots cooked confit style.

I chose the Magret de canard roti au miel et epices sur potate douce fondante - duck breast roasted with honey and spices and served over a sweet potato puree. It was really good.

For dessert, we shared the Fondant chocolat aux eclats de noisettes, crème à la vanille de bourbon - warm runny chocolate cake with bursts of hazelnuts over a creamy vanilla bourbon sauce.

We have had consistently good meals at Le Brin d'Olivier. If you are in Vaison-la-Romaine, you should reserve a table for lunch. I don't think you will be disappointed.

Le Brin d'Olivier
4 Rue du Ventoux
84110 Vaison-la-Romaine
Tel: 04 90 28 74 79
www.restaurant-lebrindolivier.com

Roussillon and the Sentier des Ocres

I am frequently asked by friends and others headed to Provence where they should go during a once in a life time seven day visit to Provence. This is a hard question as most visitors have only 6 days since they usually arrive on Saturday afternoon and then they depart the following Saturday morning and there are so many wonderful things to see.

There is something for everyone in Provence; there are Roman ruins and medieval villages for history buffs, lavender, sunflowers and coquelicots for artists, open-air markets with amazing displays of fruits and vegetables and great restaurants for foodies, and world famous vineyards for wine lovers.

There are summer music and theater festivals, bull fights and the Transhumance for lovers of spectacles, brocantes and vide-greniers for antique hunters, Mont Ventoux for amateurs cyclists who want to test their skills on the most famous ascent on the Tour de France, the Dentelles de Montmirail for hikers and picturesque villages with beaches along the Mediterranean Sea.

Invariably, we suggest that visitors include a day trip to the vibrant red-ocher colored town of Roussillon, one of five villages nestled in the Luberon hills which are classified as Plus Beaux Villages de France - Most beautiful villages of France. Roussillon is one of our favorite villages and just over one hour from Sablet.

When we have guests from the United States, we make sure we take them to as many of our do-not-miss places as time will permit. That's why we were headed to the Luberon for a visit to Roussillon on an overcast day late in March with friends John and Lorelei who were on their first trip to Provence.

As we approach, Roussillon's colors are striking against the green fields perched on the edge of a dramatic red cliff.

As you can imagine, the incredible beauty of the village brings lots of tourists during the summer. It is clear during our visit that day how much Roussillon relies on tourists for commerce as we encountered only a handful of visitors and not a single shop or cafe open as we wandered through the tiny streets of the village.

We visit Roussillon often and have posted about some of those visits here and here. Shirley and friends John and Lorelei pause under the belfry topped clock tower.

A pretty window in Roussillon.

One of the many ocher-colored houses in Roussillon.

One of the few inhabitants we found out-and-about during our visit that day to Roussillon.

A rainbow like row of brightly colored houses in Roussillon.

A house on a dramatic ocher cliff.

Although we have been to Roussillon many times, we had never hiked the Sentier des Ocres - the ocher trail just a few minutes walk from the village. Since there were no shops or cafes open to draw us in, we decided we should walk the short trail. There is a small admission fee.

The trail takes you past multi-colored ocher formations set against a backdrop of pine trees.

One of the ocher formations we passed on our walk along the Sentier des Ocres.

Shirley pauses to admire the beauty of the ocher formations. I suggest you don't wear white shoes to avoid stains as your shoes will collect ocher as you walk along.

This is the heart of one of the world's largest ocher deposits where 17 different shades of soil were once mined.

Part of the ocher trail takes you through pine forest growing on ocher soils.

The town of Roussillon has put up signs along the trail which explain the formation and mining of the ocher.

We take a break for a picture with a multi-colored ocher formation as backdrop.

The trail back up to the village.

One more brightly colored ocher formation.

On the way back to the village, we passed the cemetery which looks almost like a village street.

Roussillon, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful villages of Provence.

As I said, the beauty of Roussillon draws hordes of artists and visitors during tourist season. So it is best to visit early in the morning or later in the afternoon. The village is fairly small so it doesn't take very long to explore. It is easy to combine a visit to Roussillon with a visit to Gordes or other hill towns in the Luberon.

Other places on my list include the Pont du Gard, Cassis, Les Baux de Provence and the Tuesday morning market in Vaison-la-Romaine. I am curious readers, what places are at the top of your list of places to visit in Provence?

Bonne journée mes amis et à bientôt. Have a great day, chat soon!