SOUTHERN RHÔNE ❘ WINE VILLAGES
A tasting of a dozen reds at the Caveau du Gigondas highlights the diversity of these robust wines – ranging from 100 per cent Grenache, as in a fresh and spicy 2020 Domaine des Bosquets, to Domaine de Teyssonnières’s smooth and delicious Cuvée Alexandre, blending every one of the region’s 13 red and white grape varieties. A good bottle can be had for €20, but vintages from the more famous domaines, like Château de Saint-Cosme, can rival a Châteauneuf-du- Pape for complexity and magnificence and easily command over €100 a bottle.
WHITE WINES JOIN THE CLUB While Gigondas received AOC status for its red wines in 1971, starting with the 2023 vintage, the Gigondas appellation will now also apply to its whites.
Clockwise from left: La Mère Germaine has been lovingly restored; Chateau Fortia winemakers Anna Olejnik, Pierre Pastre and Sandra Rochel; medieval Gigondas is worth a visit in its own right; inset, chef Christophe Hardiquest; La Mère Germaine’s dining room
POSTCARD-PERFECT GIGONDAS On the half-hour drive to Gigondas, 15 miles northeast, Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s rugged terroir gives way to a more varied landscape interspersed with forests and scrubby garrigue. Tucked into the foothills of the jagged Dentelles de Montmirail mountain range, Gigondas’s medieval ramparts create a postcard-perfect scene.
This tiny village can be explored on foot in an hour or less. Take your time to stroll up to the parish church, built in the 11th century and rebuilt in 1759, and the beautifully restored 17th-century hospice, now the village’s cultural hub for musical performances and art exhibitions. A scenic walk to the top of the village takes you past the Cheminement de Sculptures, where contemporary artworks are interspersed with the native Provençal flowers and herbs, whose aromas can be detected in the earthy, robust wines made here. The vines’ elevation on the village’s sloping hills, their exposure to the sun and wind, and Gigondas’s complex geology – encompassing more than 20 distinct terroirs – mean that one parcel has markedly different qualities from the next. Like Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas is best known for its reds, made from the same 13 varieties, with juicy Grenache leading the fray.
At the Caveau du Gigondas you can enjoy a parallel tasting of as many wines as you please, all for free, and then buy those you love. But there’s no substitute for a visit to one of the many domaines in and around the village. Pierre Amadieu, third-generation winemaker and Gigondas’s largest producer, offers a history and explanation of the terroir, along with a tasting. The domaine’s lovely five-room guesthouse, Villa Sainte-Anne, is a good choice for couples or families exploring the region’s many pleasures. Gourmets have their own reason for a pilgrimage to Gigondas: the marvellous L’Oustalet. Chef Laurent Deconinck has presided over this elegant dining room for nearly 15 years and earned a Michelin star in 2019 for dishes centred on the bounty of Provence, from asparagus in spring to black truffles in winter. In summer, when the restaurant spills out onto a lovely courtyard under tall plane trees, this is your dream of Provence come true. L’Oustalet also has a fine bistro, wine bar and cellar, and five tasteful guest rooms in a handsome 16th-century townhouse in the village centre.
If you have time, the area’s network of trails that snake from village to village around the vineyards and along the Dentelles de Montmirail offer endless views of Provence and Mont Ventoux. FT
SOUTHERN RHÔNE ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE Direct TGV to Avignon from Paris Gare de Lyon 2 hours 38 mins). London via Eurostar 6 hours.
www.sncf-connect.com. Fly to Avignon-Provence Airport
avignon.aero/vols.
WHERE TO STAY AND EAT
www.lameregermaine-chateauneufdupape.fr www.loustalet-gigondas.com
CONTACTS
Châteauneuf-du-Pape & Gigondas tourism Search at:
www.provenceguide.co.uk
Jun/Jul 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 113
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