maitaitom

Since my wine taste buds are beginning to return (along with my tequila, vodka, etc), I was thinking about next year when we visit Provence. Does anyone have recommendations on which vineyard (s) to visit in Châteauneuf du Pape area? I saw somewhere that Château de Beaucastel might be a good place to taste. Does anyone have any other vineyard recommendations for a day trip to this area?

We will also be traveling to the Dordogne and Languedoc on this trip (if they can keep me healthy), so any wine recommendations from those areas would be appreciated, too. Thanks.

Gretchen

We looked around in town, but it was noon/lunch hour and it was dead quiet. We stopped at a chateau outside of town, and had a lovely time. Don't remember the name.

annhig

http://www.wineterroirs.com/2004/06/maiso_des_vins_.html>>

Hi Tom,

I let my fingers do the walking, and found the above on google; there are some other ideas too.

the Chateauneuf du pape tourist board might also know what is open when.

My recollection from more years ago than I care to remember is that several chaies are open either side of lunch - but there's no point in doing anything between 12 and 2 - apart from having lunch of course.

bon apetit

macanimals

Hi Tom,

Its been a few years since we toured Beaucastel but it was enough to get us excited and we have returned to the area several times. A reservation is essential as they only do english tours occasionally.

As for other wineries, in 2009 my brother in law emailed me the "hottest and highest" scoring CdP wines of the legendary '07 vintage. This caused us to make a mad dash to CdP and "find" as many as we could one day. Seven wineries later, we made our way back to our homebase in Lourmarin. My notes are understandably fuzzy but...
L'Ange ***
Clos Caillou ***
La Bastide St Dominique ***
Fortia **
Beaurenard **
La Tour St Michel
Clos St Michel

All were good and some , as indicated better--but it depends on the year. I still always recommend Cave du Verger as a starting point-they are not a producer but provide a tasting forum for a number of wineries and an excellent intro/presentation. www.caveduverger.com
Dropping in on the wineries is OK but be flexible--you know the drill. They might not be open or have anyone available to properly present their wines--they rarely charge you for the tastes.

Have fun--we're looking forward to returning this July. Paul

ediemay

This reminds me of our first "wine tour" in Provence many years ago. We drove into the driveway of a small family winery and around to the back of the house, The lady of the house came out on her balcony in her apron and said, "I am so sorry for you. I am having my lunch. Perhaps you could come back later!" Of couirse we were traveling and would not be returning. She did not know if we were purchasing cases or tastes but her lunch was more important than any business. Just like home?????

macanimals

Another point. Chateauneuf du Pape is understandably a more formal and definitely more expensive AVA. For a much more informal and affordable experience, consider the villages of Gigondas, Cairanne, Sablet and many others in the area east of CdP. I never fail to visit the Cave du Gigondas which is a cooperative in the town of the same name which represents roughly 75-90 wineries in the area. The wines are very affordable and you can pursue them after tasting in the cave. Some teriffic values--St Cosme(rhone blend) for 12 euro for instance.
Vaison La Romaine is a fascinating collection of roman and medieval history with a fabulous Tuesday market--and its only 15 minutes from Gigondas. Much to like at an affordable price.

StCirq

I also would recommend Gigondas and Vacqueyras. There's also the Mas des Dames just outside Maussane-les-Alpilles on the way to Les Baux that has very nice affordable wines.

The Dordogne and Languedoc don't have great wines, but you might want to visit Gaillac, and in Le Bugue stop by the Julien de Sauvignac store for some great local selections of wines and liqueurs (vin de noix, vin de pêche, liqueur de coing, etc.).

maitaitom

Thanks for all the great ideas.

Paul, Great suggestion of Cave du Verger. Looks like the perfect stop.