Saturday, October 5th - Day 25 - Chateauneuf du Pape and Dinner in Courthezon

 

Saturday dawned sunny but cool - the infamous Mistral wind that has been keeping us unseasonably (and uncomfortably) cold these past few days was still perceptible.  These winds blow southwards down the Rhone river valley out onto the Mediterranean - we now know why they are legendary!  As we took stock of our wonderful time in Courthezon, we realized that the one "big" thing we hadn't done was to explore the local wine scene.  As it happens, next door to Courthezon (about 8 kms away) is the village of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, epicenter of France's Rhone wine scene and one of the most iconic appellation controlles in the country.  We decided to devote our final day in this part of the country to exploring the village, and as much of the wine scene as possible.

On our way to Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Chateauneuf du Pape takes its name from - unsurprisingly - the castle (or chateau) that was built for the Popes to use as a summer home, for the seven decades or so of the 1300s when nearby Avignon was the seat of the Papacy.  The ruins of the chateau stand at the top of the hill upon which the village is built.  We saw the ruin as we approached the village but didn't realize that this was the chateau in the town's name! This discovery came shortly!  Today, the region is home to dozens and dozens of world-class wineries, and it seems that vineyards are everywhere around the village. Our own village, Courthezon, has 30 Chateauneuf-du-Pape wineries.

We arrived and, after a quick reconnaissance circuit around the beautiful village, found a parking spot very near the heart of town (free - but there is a permit out for the construction of a parking facility on the site, so future drivers won't be so fortunate!).  We made a bee-line for the Tourist Information office in the town center and inquired about the possibility of arranging a lunch at a local winery.  We were quickly disabused of this possibility, but the very helpful woman at the office suggested that we try a restaurant up the hill towards the castle - it was highly regarded (in fact, we'd read about this place in our Lonely Planet guide) and had it's one 'Cave' - a wine tasting room.  

We climbed to the 'Cave' immediately - it was about 11am so time was tight if we were to have lunch.  Sadly, the restaurant was fully booked and remained so even as it opened and we stopped in to see if there might have been cancellations).  Disappointed, we continued the climb to the ruined castle and enjoyed the amazing panaroma around the region that the hilltop afforded. The castle has dominated the surrounding landscape for 800 years.

View of Chateauneuf-du-Pape centuries ago.

The Castle ruins today.

                    Deb at the chateau ruins

                 

              The view from the Castle ruins over the Rhone

Vineyards everywhere!

As we were entering the village, a tractor and trailer had just unloaded some grapes

After surveying the panaroma for awhile we checked out the vineyard that was just next to the ruins - with labels helpfully displayed at the end of rows to identify the grape and its characteristics and use in the wine-making process.  Somewhat surprisingly, we found that wines from this appelation are often blends of different grapes, so this information was quite useful.  The harvest of this year's crop had been completed but Deb found a couple grapes on one vine - tart! 

 

We then descended into town and stopped for lunch at a restaurant on the town square.  One consolation prize for not getting a seat at the recommended restaurant up the hill was that the winds were less chilly as we sat at our outside table.  We decided to splurge a bit and try some wines from the local appellation - we each had the house red and white.  While the latter was absolutely delicious and obviously quite superior to the much cheaper whites we've been trying, the former was better - but not worlds better - than the 7-8 Euro Cote-de-Rhone wines we've been enjoying on a nightly basis.   

Our restaurant for lunch. 

Our shared appetizer of the house foie gras was absolutely decadent and delicious. For mains, Deb had what we thought was the daily special of scallops (Coques St. Jacques) but it turned out to be a disappointing version of a fish soup. Bummer.  Munroe went with the 'steak tartar' and was not disappointed!  

We were very pleased with the foie gras

We left the village and decided to return to the Airbnb to begin preparations for our departure (sigh).  Rather than mess the place up with cooking, we decided to try again for a restaurant meal (our first evening meal out of the trip!) at a local spot that was highly recommended by previous tenants at our apartment.  

Neither of us was disappointed here!  This was a neighborhood Italian pizzeria (Come a Casa) and it was doing good business at 7 or so when we arrived - not serving dinner yet, as the French eat later than we do, but with folks sharing a drink and watching the game of bouls being played by some local lads just beside the place.  Adult beverages for the sportsmen were provided by our spot!  The game became more animated as time passed (and the beverages were consumed) and lasted until the light faded sufficiently to prohibit play!  The contestants ended up at an outside table - no doubt their final destination before home for the night!

 

 

View from our table - so fun to watch the game

Local guys playing boule and having a few beers.
    

 Deb had a nice steak and frites and salad plate - the steak tasty but a bit tough - and Munroe had a lamb dish with fries and salad also.  We washed it down with a half litre of the house red.  It got cooler when the sun went down so we moved inside for dessert. Deb tried a chocolate and caramel mousse and it was good.  Munroe decided to lose his "Negroni" virginity and try one of those.  It was large and quite strong - but delicious!  A very nice and highly affordable meal. It was a great way to bring this wonderful second of three legs of our French adventure to a conclusion.