The Trail's Our Thing

The best wines are bottled and some are quite good, and all at amazing bargain prices. But even better is knowing that the wonderful fruit for this wine was hanging on a vine in the not-too-distant past, perhaps even in our own back yard.

And what a back yard! I’m still in awe at what the locals take for granted, or at least seem to. Perhaps in another ten years or so, I can also regard this beautiful area with a bit more restraint and resist the urge to smile whenever I think how fortunate I am to be here.

Here, is the Luberon—the best part. Living among the vineyards anywhere can be a terrific way to commune with nature, get back to your roots, develop a simpler lifestyle, live your dream… pick your favorite phrase. But living among the vineyards of the Luberon is special.

Vineyards near Bonnieux (photo by Kelly)

The Luberon is a place of spectacular natural beauty, a peaceful valley hedged in by rugged mountains. It’s a place of small villages and long, long vistas. It’s a place that our family might some day like to call home. For now, however, I’m content to appreciate the present, the being here… living among the vineyards, enjoying the wine.

A Day in the Vineyards

If someday you’re fortunate enough to find yourself in the Luberon and want to partake of the local wines, I’ll list a few places to try, just to get you started. The Luberon has three AOC areas and nearly seventy individual wineries and cooperatives. The sous prefecture, or capital of the Luberon, is Apt, a small city of eleven thousand. The Office of Tourism there is a good place to get maps and information on wineries throughout the area. Most of the other wine villages also have tourist offices with information specific to that commune.

A logical place to start is in Apt itself at Chez Sylla, a large cooperative. It offers wines from both the Côtes du Luberon and the Côtes du Ventoux appellations. They also offer la light meal and cheese tastings to go with the wines. For the collector, Chez Sylla has a nice gift shop with an extensive assortment of tire-bouchons (cork screws).

Near Apt, on the D3 (route de Bonnieux), are three of the region’s premier wineries. Domaine de Mayol has a tasting room just outside Apt on the right. The man who helped me spoke excellent English and was helpful with information about their wines.

A short distance further on the right is the Château de Mille. The estate building is stunning, having been at one time a summer residence of the Popes when they held court at Avignon. The wines, too, are very good. On the day of our visit last March, however, the proprietress wasn’t having the best of days and didn’t seem inclined to offer a tasting or be much interested in selling any quantity less than a case lot. Given that I too have had a bad day on occasion, I’m inclined to forgive and suggest a visit. The building is worth stopping for and has the most incredible leaning staircase carved out of the native stone. And wine really is very good. If you catch the owner in the same mood as I did, go to their store in Apt just off the Place de la Bouquerie on the Rue Dr. Cros. This is an unusual shop as it offers verticals covering several vintages of de Mille wines, and they’re happy to sell one bottle.

Immediately adjacent to de Mille is Chateau de l’Isolette. L’Isolette also posesses a striking château and makes some outstanding wines. Minimal English is spoken here but the effort is worthwhile to visit. The people are friendly and will offer a visit to their nice little museum.

Staying on the D3 until arriving in Bonnieux, turn right at the gendarmerie toward the Pont Julian, a local treasure and example of Roman bridge building. Built in 3 B.C., the bridge carried daily vehicular traffic until March 2005, when it was finally retired and replaced by a new structure.

Tasting Room at Château la Canorgue (photo by Kelly)

After turning out of Bonnieux toward the bridge, 800 meters will bring you to Château la Canorgue, set in beautifully-landscaped grounds. Canorgue has the reputation of being the area’s best, but has rcently gained other fame as the setting for “A Good Year,” the Ridley Scott/Russell Crowe/Peter Mayle movie set for release in November 2006. I recently talked with Nathalie Margan, the proprietor’s daughter and current wine maker. She was very friendly, speaks excellent English and was wholly unfazed by the publicity. She is quite proud of her family’s wines and rightfully so. Noelle, who also speaks English, is available for tastings on Wednesday afternoons.

Upon leaving Canorgue, turn right and continue on past the Pont Julian, cross the N100 and climb the long hill toward the ochre village of Roussillon. Go right through the center of the village and descend a steep hill to a traffic circle. Exit the circle at “Twelve o’clock” and continue down the Route de Saint-Michel. At about one kilometer, turn right at a sign for Domaine Girod. This is one of my favorites, the epitome of good wine at bargain prices. Monsieur Vincent Girod is the co-proprietor and is ably represented by his daughter-in-law Sophie in the tasting room.

One more stop should make it a full day. Go back to the N100 and turn left toward Apt. Watch carefully on the left for a sign for the Domaine de la Coquillade. This winery sits high up on a hill overlooking the valley and the Luberon Range beyond, offering views as big as the wines. If you need lodgings also, this could be the place. They have several rental apartments and houses and a large cool-looking pool with that same great view of the valley. I can just imagine that once you have your room taken care of, you can change into your favorite speedo, plop down at poolside, and order a bottle of Coquillade right from the cellars.

The beautiful view across the vineyard at Domaine de la Coquillade (photo by Kelly)

Always call ahead to check opening times and availability of a staff member who speaks your language if you are looking for great detail on the winery and the wines. And remember that most wineries are closed for at least an hour and a half at lunchtime. If you’re just happy to be chasing around the beautiful countryside, having a sip of wine here and there and won’t be disappointed if you find a winery seemingly abandoned, just set off and enjoy what comes.

A word of caution though, the French driving and drinking laws are quite strict. Unless you’re prepared to spit out the wine at every tasting, take along a designated driver. You can make it up to him/her with a nice bottle at dinner.

Cave Cooperative de Bonnieux (photo by Kelly)

As I sit writing this piece, the Mistral – Provence’s infamous wind – is howling outside. This miscreant wind is blamed for everything from bad tempers to insanity. I will therefore blame it for my forgetting the Cave de Bonnieux, my very favorite source for local wines. Although it isn’t exactly on the route I have proposed, it’s worth a visit because, like Chez Sylla, Cave de Bonnieux is a cave cooperative. Small wine growers who can’t afford the expensive equipment to process and bottle their own wines combine their fruit with other small growers, sometimes hundreds, to make their wines as a common effort. Because the wines are a blend of fruit from many different vineyards, the results will never be great. For the same reason, they will never be bad. Cave de Bonnieux tends towards the upper end of the scale, and offers great value. A couple of times (including this past weekend) we've even found them open on Sunday (very un-French), which gives one the chance to stock up in case the Mistral has caused you to forget your wine needs during the week.