Les Dentelles de Montmirail from Suzette
We ventured today to yet another Provence, this time beyond the Luberon to the Haut Vaucluse. Our destination was the countryside west of Le Mont Ventoux and around another distinctive mountain chain called Les Dentelles de Montmirail in the northernmost area of the departément of the Vaucluse.
Our route took us past L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue to Carpentras (an interesting and very busy town of about 25,000 people), where we headed east toward the massive Mont Ventoux (6263 feet), viewed now from a different perspective than our normal view from the south. My plan was to pursue a somewhat-circular driving route, going counterclockwise around the Dentelles. Charley and I have visited this area just once before—a day trip to Vaison-la-Romaine—but it is much beloved by several of my Slow Travel friends. We thought we would try to stop and walk around in as many of the villages as possible, to gain an appreciation not always evident from the road. Our target for lunch—and a wine tasting and purchase—was Gigondas, known for its red Grenache wine.
It’s hard for us not to compare this part of Provence with our beloved Luberon. (Kelly is instantly on guard if it appears we might perceive any aspect of another area even slightly superior.) The area we visited today was much greener, more forested, less rocky and rugged. The Luberon and the Dentelles are both dominated by their distinctive mountains, rustic hilltop villages, and breathtaking views. Although we spotted a couple of fruit orchards and olive groves, the area we visited today is primarily drenched with grapevines: we were in the mists of the famous and prestigious Côtes du Rhône region. We picked up a book at one of the tourist offices that detailed nine different wine routes in the surrounding area; over 150 wine communes; and hundreds of wine estates, cave cooperatives, and tasting rooms. Wine is definitely very serious business—the dominant business—in this part of Provence.
The Dentelles de Montmirail is a small mountain chain of sharp and rocky peaks to the west of Mont Ventoux. “Dentelles” means lace, and some think the jagged peaks look like lace. I mistakenly thought that the name came from the word “dents” meaning teeth, as to me, the peaks looked like somewhat crooked and sharp teeth. The Dentelles aren’t particularly high (a peak of 2409 feet, just a bit higher than the Petit Luberon at 2319 feet), but they are definitely eye-catching. And Mont Ventoux is breathtaking from any angle, a solitary mountain rising high in the sky, its scree-covered peak appearing to be snow-covered at all times of year.
Le Mont Ventoux from Crillon-le-Brave
We began our “circle” in Bédoin, a busy village near the slopes of Mont Ventoux, and then meandered along a small road to Crillon-le-Brave, a quiet hilltop village with an impressive square, a hilltop church, and what seemed like a very swank hotel. Passing by Caromb, we reached Beaumes-de-Venise (home of the sweet Muscat dessert wine) during its weekly market. We decided to stop and see what was for sale today… lots of peaches and nectarines. What, I wonder, does someone do with an entire crate of peaches?
I had read about the 9th century chapel of Notre Dame de Aubune just outside the village, so we took a vineyard road up to the church. It was covered with scaffolding—under renovation. A man emerged from another building attached to the church and told me he was staying there in a gite. We turned around and left him to enjoy his vacation.
The market food made us hungry for lunch, so we breezed by the famous wine village of Vacqueyras and followed the signs to Gigondas, perched on a hilltop in front of the Dentelles with old fortifications and a church at the top.
The hilltop wine village of Gigondas
Gigondas was smaller and quieter than we had expected, though surrounded with vineyards—just 650 people: a leafy square with three restaurants and several tasting rooms, steps leading up to higher parts of the village and the church. We had lunch on the outdoor terrace of a little restaurant (Les Copains d’Abord): pizza for Charley and Kelly and the calamari plat du jour for me.
While Kelly read a book on the square, Charley and I visited the Caveau du Gigondas, a tasting room where the wines of more than 50 Gigondas producers are sold. The list was overwhelming to me (and the staff can’t really make recommendations), so I let Charley take the lead in choosing what to taste and buy. We came away with three bottles, one of which will be a gift. (We’ve now got a row of seven bottles of wine that we’ll somehow manage to get home next week. Our wine cellar of French wines is definitely growing!)
After lunch we drove up from the village to a small 16th century hilltop chapel called Sainte Cosme and then on up the mountain road for a direct view of the jagged Dentelles. Then cars could go no further—only hikers, which wasn’t us today. I climbed across onto a rock to take a close-up photo of the jagged peaks. I still think they look like teeth—not lace!
The Dentelles from the chapel of Sainte Cosme near Gigondas
From Gigondas we drove a few scenic miles north to Sablet, where we saw signs about a three day fête underway today. We turned around and parked and climbed up the hill to the village—a nice village, but we never found the fête. (I suspect it’s a nighttime event…) Then onward to Séguret, my favorite stop of the day— one of the 146 villages designated "Les plus beaux villages de France" the most beautiful villages of France. The village sits perched on a rounded hilltop, crowned by an old château. I loved the entrance gate, the cobblestone streets lined with perfectly-restored stone houses, and especially the tiny square with the lavoir and fountain. We climbed up to the 12th century church to a beautiful viewpoint of the countryside and the Massif Central further to the north, but then decided not to climb to the castle. (Kelly was relieved!) Our timing was perfect as we managed to avoid a surge of tourists—we passed them going up the hill as we headed back to our car.
Then north—finally to Vaison-la-Romaine, once an important Gallo-Roman city dating back to the 1st century AD. This was the largest—and busiest—stop on our route; fortunately we arrived after the large Tuesday morning market was over. We parked and looked at what we could see of the Roman ruins through the fences. There are several very impressive areas of excavations. (We’ve seen lots of Roman ruins in Europe and decided not to use the time or the money to see these up close today.) Charley and I had visited Vaison in early 2005 on a market day when Kelly was in school, and I enjoyed it. I want to come back, though probably not in the busy summertime. Today a little sightseeing train was ferrying people around.
Roman ruins in Vaison-la-Romaine
Vaison was the northernmost point of our circle, and from there we then drove south toward Malaucène. We left the main road to detour into the heart of the Dentelles on a curvy mountain road, stopping a couple of times to admire the view of Mont Ventoux and the jagged Dentelles, both now seen from yet another perspective. At Suzette (population 130; altitude 1345 feet) we needed a serious break and stopped for drinks at a café. Kelly had the limonade with the risque name “Pschitt!” The belevedere had a beautiful semi-circular table d’orientation of handpainted tiles made at Vernin, the old tile factory on the N100 near Bonnieux. In addition to local points of interest, the table d’orientation gave the direction and distances to Geneva, Rome and Milan! It was a scenic and quite isolated spot to enjoy our surroundings.
The mountain road continued down to Les Barroux—the last stop of the day, we promised Kelly. She enjoyed the scenery, but was tiring of the numerous stops, especially the hikes up to the top of the hilltop villages. We parked beneath the oldest part of Le Barroux and meandered up the tiny streets, eventually finding our way to a beautiful and very substantial 16th century chateau at the top. Interestingly, we didn’t pass a single shop or eating place along the way.
Chateau at Le Barroux
Two American tourists—a husband and wife—were driving right behind us on the road as we eased into the last parking place. They decided to drive on up into the village despite the signs indicating otherwise. We came upon them stuck on a narrow lane, just a bit wider than the car. It wasn’t a pretty scene, as the wife stood outside the car yelling at her husband, trying to guide him in making about a ten-point turn.
And then it was home to our Luberon. I liked the “Haut Vaucluse” very very much Sometime we will go back and hike in the Dentelles, maybe even spend a couple of days in one of the pretty wine villages. I definitely understand why some of my travel friends are drawn to this area.
Charley recently calculated that the region of Provence (Provence-Alpes-Côte D'Azur) is about the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined—two of the smaller states in the USA. We think we know Provence well. But as we continue to experience more of this special and varied region, we realize how much more there is to explore. And we realize how much we enjoy each new discovery.
