"Les 3 Souquets", an Olive Oil Boutique and Santonnier Workshop Near Sablet

We have been traveling to Sablet several times a year for the past 11 years. You would think that by now, there would not be anything new left for us to discover, but that is not the case. It seems that we find someplace new every time we are in Sablet.

Sablet

"Les 3 Souquets", a santon work shop and boutique offering for sale, products from the region, including all things olives, such as fresh olives, olive oils, and tapenades, made from green and black olives, is our latest discovery.

Fortunately for us, "Les 3 Souquets" is located on D-977 (also known as Route de Vaison La Romaine) near the turnoff for Sablet. The workshop and boutique are the creation of Denis Voeux, a santonnier and owner of a small grove of olive trees, in the neighboring village of Séguret.

Les 3 Souquets

I do not know if Monsieur Voeux was a santonnier who became passionate about olive oil, or vice versa, but at "Les 3 Souquets", there is evidence of both. There are a variety of olive oils from various AOPs ("Appellation d’Origine Protégée") in France and elsewhere as well as fresh Picholine and Tanche olives available to taste and purchase.

Every year, Monsieur Voeux takes a tour of the Mediterranean Region's olive oil AOPs and chooses what he believes are the best from the most recent harvest to sell in his boutique. He also has bottles of olive oil he produces from his small grove in Séguret which falls within the Nyons AOP.

The owner of "Les 3 Souquets", Denis Voeux with Shirley

For santon newbies, santons are hand-made clay figurines that depict the colorful people, traditional trades, activities and costumes of Provence as I told you here. In Provence, they are set out at Christmas in a Provençal creche (nativity scene). I love them and have a small collection that I set out at Christmas time.

If you are fortunate enough to come to his workshop on a day that Monsieur Voeux is working on santons, you might be able to see how they are baked in a red hot oven or how he hand paints each one of them. He says he was enamored with santons from a young age and finally gave in to his love of making objects from clay and modeling them.

Every santonnier has their own style, usually the way to tell one santonniers' work from another, is by looking at the faces of the santons. One of the unusual features of Monsieur Voeux's santons, are his faces, they are all people from Monsieur Voeux's life. The first face he modeled was that of his grandfather on his mother's side of the family. Quite a few other people from his life have since joined the nativity scene. His most recent creation was a santon with a face modeled after his uncle.

Santons by Denis Voeux

In France, olive trees are planted along the arc of the Mediterranean Sea, between Nice and Perpignan, Marseille and Nyons. It is said that there are 100 different varieties of olive trees grown in France, of which 20 are important for the economy of the region. As I said earlier, Monsieur Voeux travels throughout the various olive oil AOPs to selection the best for his boutique. As you can see below, he has a large number of excellent olive oils available.

Olive oils on display at Les 3 Souquets

If you are in the area, and interested in learning about Santons or how they are made, or anything to do with olives or olive oil, make sure you stop in to visit the "Les 3 Souquets" boutique. After tasting quite a few different bottles during our visit, I bought a bottle of Monsieur Voeux's own Nyons production. It was really nicely balanced for me. Tell Monsieur Voeux that Michel from Sablet told you to stop in.

"Les 3 Souquets"
1471 Route de Vaison La Romaine
84110 Séguret
Tel: 06 18 56 57 02
denis.voeux@wanadoo.fr

A visit to nearby Séguret, a Most Beautiful Village of France.

Our village in Provence is surrounded by small wine-making villages, the closest of which is Séguret, about 1.25 miles northeast of Sablet. As you can see in the picture below, Séguret is elevated above the vineyards that separate Sablet from Séguret and wraps around the bottom of a steep hill topped by ruins of its medieval castle.

We go often to Séguret, sometimes on foot through the vineyards up to Séguret then through the pretty village before heading back to Sablet on the connecting road. Other times we drive, especially if we are going to eat at one of the restaurants. Séguret is one of seven villages in the Vaucluse classified as a "most beautiful villages of France" and is most deserving of this honor.

Séguret

Séguret in Provençal means security, probably given to the village due to its geographic situation. Its dominant position allowed the villagers to observe movement in the Rhône Valley, without forgetting the château at the top of the mountain.

If you drive to Séguret, you must park in one of the parking areas just below the village as Séguret is accessible only on foot. From the parking lot, walk up the hill and enter the village through the arched portal of the old wall around Séguret seen below to the main street.

North entrance to the village

The Fontaine des Mascarons (translated as the Fountain of Masks) around which daughter Stephanie and family are gathered below dates from the end of the 16th century. It has a round basin with a tower and 3 masks which give the fountain its name.

The fountain of masks in the center of Séguret

The small central square of Séguret has a 14th-century stone bell tower with a 17th-century belfry and a single-hand clock dating from 1680. On this same square is a lavoir built in 1846 and the 16th-century fountain with its three stone faces.

Me and the cousins in the center of Séguret

Séguret is fun to explore, although essentially it consists of little more than two, very narrow, parallel cobblestone streets.

The center of Séguret and its covered laundry tub

Rue de la Poterne seen below is the main street of Séguret. It is very narrow, paved with cobblestones and runs from one end of the village to the other.

Rue Poterne

The Huguenots' Gate, also known as the New Door, still has its two iron bound wooden shutters. It provided access to the village from the south.

The Huguenots' Gate

The laundry facility seen below is at Place des Arceaux, where hundred-year-old sycamores, classed “remarkable trees of France”, provide much-appreciated shade during a game of boules or other gathering.

The laundry tub at Place Arceaux

Me with cousins Jean-Marc and Christine in Sablet

Séguret house

As you wander around the village you will come across a house seen below called "L'Oustau dei Santoun" or the "House of Santons".

L'Oustau dei Santoun

All the little streets are paved with cobblestones

Besides being a beautiful village, another reason to visit Séguret are the wines. Most Séguret wines include grapes from the three terroirs associated with the appellation: the fertile terraces of the valley of the Ouvèze, the clayey-limestone slopes around the village itself and, behind the village, the poorer arid soils of the steeper hillsides. Our favorite is Domaine de Mourchon.

View over the Séguret plain

View from Séguret to Sablet

The Roman Saint Denis Church seen below was built against the cliff between the 10th and 12th centuries and a bell tower was added in the 14th century.

Saint Denis Church

Interior of Saint Denis Church

L'Oustau dei Santoun (The house of Santons) in Séguret

Séguret House

Saint Thècle Chapel seen below was built by the brotherhood of the Pénitents Blancs in the 18th century. Today it is an exhibit hall where since 1970 from late November into January, the "Amis de Séguret" put on an exhibition of traditional santons made by the best local santon makers as well as santon makers from throughout Provence. At other times throughout the year, artists display and sell paintings.

Saint Thècle Chapel

Narrow cobblestone street

Séguret Houses

A ruined castle sits on top of the hill above the village. It was built in the 11th century by the Count of Toulouse in his attempt to wrestle control from the papal Comtat Vénaissin. If you head towards the entrance to the village, and follow signs to the castle, you'll find a steep, rocky path that takes you to the top of the hill and the ruins of the castle - allow 20-30 minutes to get there.

Iron cross at the entrance to Séguret

There are three restaurants, 2 gastronomic, one called Le Mesclun in the heart of the village and the second called Domaine de Cabasse on the road from Sablet. The third restaurant is a casual restaurant called Côté Terrasse which is located near Le Mesclun.

Roundabout at the entrance to the lower village

Plan to take a walk through Séguret. It won't take long. Then enjoy lunch with a great view. Finish your visit to Séguret with a tasting at Domaine de Mourchon that I told you about here.You can place an order at the Domaine and their US importer will deliver to your home.

Côté Terrasse Restaurant in the Most Beautiful Village of Séguret

Our village in Provence is surrounded by small wine-making villages, the closest of which is Séguret, about 1.25 miles northeast of Sablet. As you can see in the picture below, Séguret is elevated above the vineyards that separate Sablet from Séguret and wraps around the bottom of a steep hill. At the top of that hill behind the village, are the ruins of its medieval castle.

We go often to Séguret, sometimes on foot through the vineyards up to Séguret then walk through the pretty village before heading back to Sablet on the connecting road. Other times we drive, especially if we are going to eat in one of the restaurants. Séguret was one of the first villages classified as a "most beautiful villages of France" and is most deserving of this honor.

Séguret

If you drive to Séguret, you have to park in one of the parking areas just below the village as Séguret is accessible only on foot. From the parking lot, walk up the hill and enter the village through the arched portal of the old wall around Séguret to the main street.

Roundabout on the Road up to Séguret

The small square in the center of Séguret has a 14th-century stone bell tower with a 17th-century belfry and a single-hand clock dating from 1680. On this same square is a lavoir built in 1846 and the 17th-century fountain with its four stone faces.

Bell Tower in the Center of Séguret

One morning a few weeks back, I was visiting with Jeannine Moulin and her son Julien, she is the proprietress and waits on customers and he is the baker, at Pain Medieval Boulangerie in Sablet. We were sharing opinions about area restaurants when Madame Moulin asked me if I knew Côté Terrasse Restaurant in Séguret.

I was not, but her description of the restaurant and their menu of salads, tartines and grillades (grilled meats) reminded us of Du Verre à l'Assiette Restaurant in Gigondas which we like a lot. Since the restaurant is so close to Sablet, we decided to give it a try.

Côté Terrasse Restaurant

We found the restaurant in the center of Séguret on Rue des Poternes next to Le Mesclun Restaurant which I told you about here. Since it was a cool day, we opted to sit in the pretty dining room. As soon as we were seated, the ardoise (blackboard) was brought to us so we could read the day's handwritten menu.

Shirley at Côté Terrasse Restaurant

As we say, when in France, do like the French. For lunch in California during the week, it is usually ice tea or water, but in France we get a glass or carafe of local wine. For lunch at Côté Terrasse, we selected a carafe of locally produce rosé from Domaine de Mourchon, our favorite Séguret winery.

2013 Domaine de Mourchon Côtes du Rhône Rosé

Most of the restaurants we frequent in the Vaucluse offer a prix fix 3 course menu. Here it was more casual and we chose a salad for Shirley and a grillade for me. Shirley got a Salade Camenbert Pané (breaded), without the jambon (ham), with greens, zucchini, eggplant and tomatoes.

Salade Camenbert Pané

For me, I love lamb and I chose the Côte d'Agneau Sauce au Thym. Very tasty served with crispy potatoes, grilled eggplant and zucchini and roasted pumpkin.

Côte d'Agneau Sauce au Thym

Our meals included a choice of desserts and I chose chocolate and pistachio ice cream.

Chocolate and Pistachio Ice Cream

Shirley went with the Raspberry Panna Cotta with Raspberry Coulis.

Panna Cotta with Raspberry Coulis

The restaurant has been open for 4 years and closes every January and February. We found it to be a nice change from our usual three course lunches. Don't get me wrong, we love those meals, but it was nice for a change. So if you are like us and wish for less elaborate meals from time to time, don't hesitate to go to Côté Terrasse Restaurant. We will return.

Côté Terrasse Restaurant
Rue des Poternes
84110 Séguret
Tel: 04 90 28 03 48

Beautiful villages around the Dentelles de Montmirail

It might seem like our day trips take us a long way from Sablet, the village we call home in Provence, but that is not the case at all. Most day trips are are less than one hour drive and quite a few take just a few minutes.

One of the most scenic trips is the 62 km "Route des Vin" (wine road) that goes around the Dentelles de Montmirail with stops to visit one or more of the pretty wine-making villages along the way. The Dentelles de Montmirail are short, steep mountains with a distinctive rocky ridge extending west geologically from Mont Ventoux which is located just to the east.

The name Dentelles, the French word for lace, refers to the jagged, rocky tops obtained by erosion, while Montmirail is derived from the Latin mons mirabilis meaning "admirable mountain" though the alternative connection with teeth, "dents" in French is equally good in my opinion.

The Dentelles de Montmirail mountain range is about 8 km (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 ft).

View toward the Dentelles de Montmirail with Sablet in the foreground

As you know, we live in Sablet, which we think is one of the prettiest villages along the Dentelles de Montmirail wine road. You can check out Sablet here, here and here.

Sablet

Next door to Sablet is Séguret, a small village elevated above the vineyards that separate Sablet from Séguret and wraps around the bottom of a steep hill topped by ruins of its medieval castle.

We go often to Séguret, sometimes on foot through the vineyards up to Séguret then through the pretty village before heading back to Sablet on the connecting road. Séguret is classified as a "most beautiful village of France" and is most deserving of this honor.

Séguret

When you get to Séguret, you will have to park in one of the parking areas just below the village as Séguret is accessible only on foot. From the parking lot, walk up the hill and enter the village through the arched portal of the old wall around Séguret to the main street.

The small central square of Séguret has a 14th-century stone bell tower with a 17th-century belfry and a single-hand clock dating from 1680. On this same square is a lavoir built in 1846 and the 17th-century fountain with its four stone faces.

Shirley and friends at the fountain in the center of Séguret

The village of Séguret is long and narrow with cobblestone streets and rough stone walls.

Cobblestone street in Séguret

Séguret has a number of tourist-oriented shops along Rue des Poternes including several art galleries and santonniers. In case you don't know, santonniers are makers of hand-painted terracotta nativity scene figurines produced in Provence that I told you about here.

Rue des Poternes in Séguret

The Huguenots' gate which still has its two iron bound wooden shutters.

Séguret's Huguenots' gate

Below you can see one of the village lavoirs near the Huguenot's gate; lavoirs are a public place set aside for washing clothes.

A Séguret lavoir

As you exit Séguret, you will pass the public toilet facilities. Let's just say that public toilets in France are a mixed bag of good and bad and we recommend ladies, that you carry toilet paper in your purse as you travel about. Toilets deserve a post of their own and someday I will tackle this topic as a public service.

Public toilets

Fourteen km on the wine road around the Dentelles de Montmirail we come to the tiny village of Crestet. It is perched on a crest at the northern edge of the Dentelles de Montmirail facing Mont Ventoux.

Crestet

Drive up the narrow winding road, in some places more like a path, up to the medieval castle sitting atop Crestet where there is a spectacular view towards Mont Ventoux.

The castle is one of the oldest castles in Provence. It was renovated and enlarged in the 14th century and for a while the bishops of Vaison-la-Romaine resided there. What remained of the castle was restored in 1984. It is now privately owned and not open to the public.

Crestet castle

The village is tiny, population 434. From the castle, you head down the narrow cobblestone street into the center of the village. You will enter into a medieval world with old stone houses, narrow alleys, arches and cul-de-sacs. Beware, none of the streets are flat.

Narrow cobblestone street in Crestet

The steeple of Saint-Sauveur-et-Saint-Sixte church

Cobblestone stairway

One of many stone structures in Crestet

A statue along the path

Steep narrow cobblestone street in Crestet

All the streets are cobblestone and barely wide enough for two people

The construction of the village church began in 890. Three chapels were added successively in 1380, 1495, and 1563. It wasn't until 1760, that the church was dedicated to Saint-Sauveur.

Saint-Sauveur-et-Saint-Sixte church in Crestet

The beautiful fountain seen below is in the center of Crestet near the village church. It was built in 1843.

Crestet fountain near village church

Cobblestone steps and archway in Crestet

Village lavoir

The Annonciade chapel seen below was built in 1545.

Annonciade chapel

Old stone well in Crestet

Cross against backdrop of the end of the day toward Mont Ventoux

Stone house with sun dial

Stone archway in Crestet

Cobblestone path uphill back to castle

There is almost no commercial activity in the village; a restaurant at the top which we have not tried and Poterie de Crestet, a pottery maker at the entrance to the village.

If you are in the Vaucluse, you should set time aside to drive the wine road around the Dentelles de Montmirail. Sablet, Séguret and Crestet are definitely worth a visit along the way but so are Gigondas, Beaumes de Venise and Vaison-la-Romaine.

Although we have driven around the Dentelles de Montmirail many times, we have not yet stopped and explored Suzette or Lafare. Maybe when we are there in a few week.

Have a great week. Chat soon.