I am sure that we all have moments in our lives that lend themselves to reflection and a little nostalgia. It has been a while since I wrote, and, knowing your fondness for the wine regions, I wanted to share a recent experience that encapsulated one of those moments.
After all these years in France, it still astonishes me how deeply this country continues to charm and surprise me. There’s something in the light, in the scent of warm earth and rosemary,
in the rhythm of the seasons and the vines - it’s never just about wine. It’s about ‘la joie de vivre’ the friendships, the stories, and the slow, generous pleasure of time well spent.
But the wine adds that certain ’je ne sais quoi’ !
This Spring Patricia and I set off from our home near Bordeaux for one of our most enjoyable journeys which we make every two years:
an eight hour train journey to Avignon (trains are very slow going from West to East in France!). This was the start of a trip built around two of our great passions – wine and old friends. From the moment the train pulled out of the station, the mood shifted. We had books, a packed lunch and a growing sense that we were heading somewhere special.
Eventually, we arrived at our Hotel La Mirande, an exquisite renowned establishment tucked in beside Le Palais des Papes. From our window, we could see the ancient stone rising in the early morning light - timeless, regal. For two days we tasted wines at an event called ‘Les Découvertes en Vallée du Rhône’ provided by many ‘vignerons from across the Rhône Valley. There was a buzz of discovery, but also a sense of homecoming!
The following day we visited our friends at Domaine de l’Amauve in the village of Séguret (one of ‘les plus beaux villages de France’).
The owner Christian Voeux, a well known oenologist and former wine maker at Château La Nerthe in Châteauneuf du Pape, is President of this Appellation and has an authentic respect for nature
which is reflected in every bottle he produces. It is almost possible to taste the serenity, sensitivity and passion that flows naturally from his approach to life and wine making and into the glass.
We then spent a glorious morning in Saint-Remy-de-Provence, where a very knowledgeable local guide took us on a gentle stroll through the bustling Provençal market. It was Spring in full swing, ‘asperges nouvelles’ piled high beside gleaming pink garlic bulbs, and of course the new season of strawberries with vendors calling out their daily harvest and everything perfumed with wild herbs and lavender soap. So perfectly ‘dans l’air du temps’!
And then came the part of the trip we had particularly looked forward to; our visit to the Jaume family at Domaine Grand Veneur in Orange, near Châteauneuf du Pape. It’s hard to put into words what this place means to us. Patricia and I first visited over thirty years ago, arriving just in time to see Alain and Odile Jaume together with their team picking grapes under the sun and warm ‘Mistral’ wind. Even then, there was a magic to the place. Over the decades, our connection deepened - not just through the wines, but through the people. We’ve watched Christophe, Sébastien and Hélène grow from children into confident custodians of the family’s legacy.
And at the centre of it all is Alain. He doesn’t speak English. He does not need to. He chews the wine – literally - and understands everything: the grapes, the soil, the vintage, the politics.
His knowledge runs deep, but it’s never about display. It’s in the way he walks through the vines, the way he watches a glass settle, the way he smiles when a wine reveals its best self.
We spent long hours in the vineyards, talking, remembering. The wines, as ever, were extraordinary. The red Châteauneuf du Pape bold and grounded. The ‘Bellisime’ rosé, bright, full of life and beautifully presented in their new bottle, just perfect for Summer drinking! And then, that rare pleasure of a white Châteauneuf du Pape, a combination of Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Bourboulenc. Elegant, expressive and far too underappreciated. It accounts for less than 10% of the region’s production which only makes each glass more precious.
And then there’s the Châteauneuf du Pape bottle itself, embossed with the Pope’s mitre – a tactile reminder of this region’s deep roots and perhaps a nod to the grandeur that defines it. It’s a symbol that led to more reflection after Easter’s news.
From Domaine Grand Veneur our journey meandered as it should; lunch in Les Baux-de Provence, the visual poetry of Les Carrières des Lumières where Claude Monet and Le Douanier Rousseau dance across quarry walls, and that lingering Provençal sunlight that I have never seen replicated elsewhere.
But still, it’s the vineyards that leave the strongest memories. The friendship, the laughter, the familiarity of a glass raised across decades. The sight of Alain chewing thoughtfully, reading a vintage like a book he’s written himself.
We’ve brought back cases of the Rouge, Blanc and Rosé from Domaine de l’Amauve and Domaine Grand Veneur and are ready to send them your way!!
Just give me a shout and they shall appear!
Happy reflections and santé!
John