La Maison Bleue in Villedieu, a Great Place to Dine on Arrival in Sablet

Hard to believe, but we are finally back in Sablet. Shirley and I met in Chicago after her flight from San Francisco. Our trip was uneventful except for a 4 hour wait in Paris, which seemed interminable for our Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV), high-speed train to Avignon where we picked up the Renault Scenic rental car.

We were out of the rental car office in less than 10 minutes on the road to Sablet. Made it there in good time, tired from the trip and 9 hour change in time zones. More often than not, we don't have the energy to cook when we get to Sablet or eat a fancy meal so we opt for something simple, which usually means a visit to Maison Bleue in Villedieu.

Villedieu is located about 7 1/2 miles northwest of Sablet in the direction you would take if you were driving to Nyons. Villedieu is a small village (population 518) set on a hill surrounded by vineyards, olive groves and pine trees, overlooking the Aygues River, close to the Drôme Provençale.

Villedieu is a medieval village that was once a commandery of the Knights of Templar, where they had a chateau with one tower. Founded during a time when there were frequent invasions, you can see picturesque reminders of the village defense as you stroll around the village.

La Maison Bleue in Villedieu

Maison Bleue is owned by Chef Daniel Roger. From a small kitchen equipped with a large wood-fired pizza oven he built himself, Chef Roger turns out pizzas with a variety of toppings on dough perfectly blistered by the wood-fired oven, a variety of salads, large enough to share, pastas, and other specials. During the summer, he also offers a selection of grilled meats.

We have become friends with Chef Daniel as we go frequently to Maison Bleue during the months the restaurant is open. March, April, May, June, September and October, Maison Bleue is open Thursday through Sunday. July and August, the restaurant is open Tuesday through Sunday.

Chef Daniel Roger works the wood-fired pizza oven

Maison Bleue's wine list consists of wines produced by vignerons (winemakers) of Villedieu. Our server Natacha, who hails from Russia, and has been serving at Maison Bleue the last couple of seasons, suggested we order a wine from Domaine Denis Tardieu. The wine is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Cinsault and is organically produced by the winery which is in Villedieu.

Domaine Denis Tardieu Côtes du Rhône

The pizza's and salads are large enough to share so we usually do some sharing during our meal. This night we started with a "La Campagnard Salad" with a mound of greens dressed with a tasty balsamic vinaigrette, toasted wheat bread spread with chèvre cheese, toasted pine nuts, honey and herbs de Provence. This is my favorite salad.

Shirley's favorite salad is "La Montagnard Salad" with greens, a whole roasted Camembert cheese topped with tomatoes and pine nuts. Toasted bread accompanies the salad; wonderful for spreading on the warm, oozing cheese.

La Campagnard Salad

We almost always order a pizza to share. Our favorite pizza is a delicious thin-crusted pizza that Chef Daniel calls "L'Indigo." It is covered with tomato sauce and topped with mozzarella, chèvre, Roquefort, Emmental and a dried mixture of herbs of Provence.

Tonight, we decided to order pasta, since we had not tried any of Chef Daniel's pasta before. At the suggestion of Natacha, I ordered the fettuccine pasta with a mushroom cream sauce.

Fettuccine pasta with mushroom sauce

Shirley chose what Chef Daniel calls a "Gratinée" pasta. For her dish, the chef stuffs tortellini with spinach and ricotta cheese and then covers them with a béchamel sauce, adds a layer of grated cheese and finishes the dish in the wood-fired oven.

Tortellini pasta stuffed with spinach and ricotta cheese

To finish, we shared a Café liégeois, a refreshing and tasty dessert made from coffee ice cream, lightly sweetened coffee, and chantilly cream.

Café Liégeois

By the time we finished our meal and chatted with chef Daniel and his wife and got our check, Shirley was dying to get back to her bed so she could sleep. We walked out into the night and peered for a few minutes at the gate through Villedieu's defensive wall before we headed for our car.

If you are in Sablet or the surrounding area between March and October, and looking for a tasty but simple meal, we highly recommend Maison Bleue in Villedieu. Reservations are strongly recommended, especially during warm weather when Place Liberation becomes a grand terrace shared by a café and 2 restaurants. Tables and chairs are arranged around a fountain with the area for the café and each restaurant defined by the color of chairs.

Sitting under the plane trees with family and friends on the square during a spring, summer or early fall evening is a magical experience and makes the food and wine taste oh so good.

Gate through Defensive Wall around Villedieu

La Maison Bleue
Place Libération
84110 Villedieu
Tel: 04 90 28 97 02

Vaison-la-Romaine, a Tale of Two Unique Towns

We go often to Vaison-la-Romaine, sometimes it seems almost every day. We go for Tuesday morning market, basic household supplies at Intermarché, cheese at fabulous Lou Canesteou run by Josiane Deal, meet friends at Festival Café, or simply pass through on the way to Nyons and other destinations in the Drôme Provençale.

As we near Vaison-la-Romaine, the Castle of the Counts of Toulouse reigns on a cliff above the town like a beacon beckoning us to come up and visit. Although we see the Castle all the time, we have only walked up through the upper town to the Castle one time.

Castle of the Counts of Toulouse

Vaison-la-Romaine is a short (6 mile) drive from Sablet along a winding road and across the Ouvèze River on the Pont Neuf (new bridge); farther up the river, there is a Roman bridge too. Vaison la Romaine is divided into two parts by the Ouvèze River; on the right bank is the ancient Roman colony and modern town and on the left bank on top of a rocky spur is the old medieval town.

The bridge in the picture below was built by the Romans in the 1st century AD, with a single arch spanning 56 feet. It was built of large course masonry, resting directly upon the rock. Until a footbridge was built in 1858, the Roman bridge was the only link between the two sides of the river.

Vaison-la-Romaine Roman Bridge

When the causeway had to be repaired after World War II (the bridge was hit by a German bomb but was only superficially damaged), grooves meant to guide carts and chariots in narrow and dangerous passages appeared, a good indication of what traffic was like on the bridge.

View south to the Roman Bridge

One day after market last spring, we decided we would visit the old upper town and walk up to the castle. The entry street is lined with a few tourist shops and cafes. As you continue on up into the heart of the old town, the shops disappear and there's a sense of quiet, and of entering into the Medieval past.

The entrance into the heart of the Medieval upper town is through a deep, fortified gateway through the base of the tower. The Belfry, was protected by a barbican, a moat with a drawbridge, a portcullis and a gate. The base of the tower dates from the 14th century and the wrought-iron campanile were added in the 18th century.

Stone walkway into Medieval upper town

Stone alter

Vaulted arch walkway to home

In the 18th century, most of the fountains were erected. They are composed of a central column from which water springs, their top is rounded and decorated with a sculptured pine cone.

Fountain in old town

The heart of the Medieval upper town is quite large with long, narrow streets traversing the hillside east-west, between nicely renovated but ancient buildings, even narrower little streets connect the traversing streets, many with vaulted arch supports.

Narrow stone street with 2 vaulted arch supports

The narrow streets of the upper town are lined with old houses, picturesque old doorways, little squares with small fountains, and old churches.

Stone house with fortified cross street

Fountain in old town

Stone street traverses the hillside town

Thick stone walls with pretty window

Stone wall encloses garden

Fountain at intersection of streets

View over the roof tops

Narrow stone passageway

Vaulted arch over path up to castle

The view from near the castle over the lower Roman town is worth all the energy you expended to get up there; trust me!

Lower Roman and modern town of Vaison-la-Romaine

Around 1180, the men of the Count of Toulouse built a wooden tower strengthened by palissages (trellises) on the top of this hill to impose the image of the Count’s power on the citizenry. This was pulled down on Bishop Bérenger de Reilhane’s order and replaced in 1195 by Raymond V, Count of Toulouse and Marquis of Provence. Later, two buildings were added. The castle has been modified along the centuries.

Castle of the Counts of Toulouse in Vaison-la-Romaine

Pretty tourist shop

We got back down to the belfry tower and gateway to the lower town.

Inner side of the belfry tower

Belfry tower, entry to upper town of Vaison-la-Romaine

If you go to Vaison-la-Romaine on Tuesday for the market and want to tour the Roman ruins and climb up to the castle, you will have a full days worth of activities. So plan accordingly.

Have a great week. Chat soon.

A Walk Around Gigondas and Wine Tasting at Domaine du Grapillon D'Or

We are blessed to have a house in Sablet and live as Sabletains several times a year. If you don't know, the people who reside in Sablet are called Sabletains. We love our location at the base of the Dentelles de Montmirail Mountains surrounded by vineyards as far as you can see. Nearby are several small villages, some known for their beauty and others renown for the wine produced in the village.

Sablet is located between Séguret, a village classified as a "Plus Beaux Village de France," to the north and Gigondas, a village renown for its red wine to the south. We think Gigondas is one of the prettiest of all Côtes du Rhône wine villages and one you should visit if you love red wine.

From the road, Gigondas seems little more than a cluster of stone houses set on a hillside with a church below the Dentelles de Montmirail Mountains overlooking vineyard covered slopes and valley below.

Gigondas

When I turn off for Gigondas, I follow the road up through the lower village, passing a succession of cafés and tasting rooms (caves) before arriving at Place Gabriel Andéol where the Mairie (town hall) and Caveau du Gigondas (wine growers cooperative), are located. I park near the fountain.

While Shirley and friend Kari went off to hike to the top of the Dentelles de Montmirail as I told you here, I walked around Gigondas taking pictures before I went to taste wine at Domaine Du Grapillon D'Or. The pictures which follow are some I took that day.

Gigondas Town Hall

If you like red wine, plan to stop in at the Caveau du Gigondas (wine cooperative) where you can taste more than 100 different Gigondas wines from 80 wineries and buy them at the same price as at the winery. The Caveau sells more than 80,000 bottles of wine each year.

Caveau du Gigondas

The name Gigondas is of Roman origin. Jocunditas means great pleasure and enjoyment in Latin, with the town's origin and production of wine dating back to the Romans.

Gigondas Fountain

I love the bright shutters, usually blue, I come across as I walk around Gigondas.

Gigondas Fountain

Gigondas Sundial

The stairway walk up to the hospice which dates from 1678. After the French revolution, the hospice became a girl's school up to the beginning of the 20th century when it was abandoned and fell into ruins.

Stairway Walk up to Hospice

Iron Cross and vineyards in front of Gigondas ramparts

The Gigondas castle and the defensive ramparts were built around the 13th to 14th century.

Gigondas Defensive Ramparts

The Saint Catherine of Alexandria parish church with its central clock tower flanked by a campanile belfry dates from the beginning of the 17th century. A hollow on the front facade shelters a statue of the Virgin Mary.

Saint Catherine of Alexandria Church

One of the many stone houses I came across as I wandered around Gigondas.

Gigondas Stone House

Trimmed Plane Tree

One of our favorite producers of Gigondas wine is Domaine La Bouissiere. This wine has been on the list of our Bistro Des Copains since we opened back in June 2006. The tasting room is just a few steps from Place Gabriel Andéol.

Domaine la Bouissiere

Another Village Fountain

Stone House with Defensive Ramparts in the Background

Porcelain Cicadas Decorate House Shutters

The Dentelles de Montmirail provide a spectacular backdrop for Gigondas. As I told you here, the Dentelles de Montmirail Mountain range is about 8 kms (5 miles) long and runs from Vaison-la-Romaine on the north end to Beaumes-de-Venise on the south. The tallest peak of the Dentelles de Montmirail range is St-Amand, at 734 m (2,400 feet).

Dentelles de Montmirail

While Shirley and Kari made their way to the top of the Dentelles de Montmirail, I headed to Domaine Du Grapillon D'Or to taste wine. My tasting at the winery had been arranged by Bruno, the proprietor of Café des Sports in Sablet.

As I told you here, Café des Sports usually has one or two tables occupied by local vintners playing card games. One of the vintners who frequents these games is Bernard Chauvet who is the proprietor of Domaine du Grapillon D'Or.

Domaine Du Grapillon D'Or

Domaine du Grapillon D'Or is located on the hillside below the village of Gigondas. The property has been in the hands of the Chauvet family going back to 1806. Bernard has run the winery for the past 40 years. He is now assisted by his daughter Celine who makes the wine.

Domaine Du Grapillon D'Or buildings

It is uncommon to walk into Côtes du Rhône wineries to dégust (taste) wine and find yourself in a bright, cheery, tastefully decorated, tasting room. So I was surprised by the tasting room at Domaine Du Grapillon D'Or. If you go to the winery, make sure you check out Bernard Chauvet's collection of wine corkscrews. There are more than 300 on exhibit, the oldest date back to the 18th century.

Domaine Du Grapillon D'Or Tasting Room

The Domaine du Grapillon D'Or vineyards consist of 14 hectares (a little over 34 acres) on Gigondas hillsides, 2 hectares (approximately 5 acres) in Vacqueyras and 3.3 hectares (a little over 8 acres of Vin de Pays (country wine) made with Merlot-Caladoc grape varieties.

Grenache is the main varietal used in the blending of the Domaine du Grapillon D'Or wines. The Grenache gives the wines their structure and tanins while Syrah gives the wine its intense color and aromas. I liked each of the 4 different bottles I tried. I particularly liked the Gigondas, one of two bottles made from Gigondas wines.

Domaine Du Grapillon D'Or barrel room

Before heading back to the village to meet up with the lady hikers, I went to visit Saint-Cosme and Saint-Damien Chapel on the north side of Gigondas on the road to the Col du Cayron pass. The Chapel was built in the 12th century, destroyed in the 16th century and restored in the 17th century. The Chapel is dedicated to two saints and brothers Cosme and Damian, protectors of surgeons and pharmacists.

Saint-Cosme and Saint-Damien Chapel in Gigondas

If you like red wine, I can't say enough to encourage you to visit Gigondas and taste at Caveau de Gigondas or wineries such as Domaine La Bouissiere and Domaine Du Grapillon D'Or.

Have a great day. Chat soon.