Exploring wineries isn't just enjoyable—it's an ongoing education. The more wines sampled, the deeper the understanding. Constantly seeking ways to enhance our own creations, we savor diverse wines to uncover new dimensions in grape varieties and styles. Each tasting is a journey, a chance to stumble upon a gem worth emulating. Our recent escapade through Provence and the Cote d'Azur in southern France was a revelation, building on our previous explorations of California, Spain, Portugal and Mexico's Guadalupe Valley,
We flew into Nice on the Cote d' Azur and after spending the night at a hotel on the beach at Cagnes sur Mer near the airport. The next morning we started the drive to the Luberon several hours drive to the north west near Avignon. Provence is known for its rose' wine but we were interested primarily in red wines. The grape varieties are mostly Syrah, Grenache and Mouvedre and some Carignan but other grape varieties are also grown. While still at home, we googled wineries that would be on our way to the Luberon. We are always looking for wineries that make great wine, but also that have great architecture or some other interesting feature that we both may enjoy but that we also may want to incorporate into our winery.
We found Chateau Sainte Roseline which was about half way between Nice and the little medieval village of Cabrieres d' Avignon where we were going to stay in the Luberon. The winery was near the village of Les Arcs sur Argens just off the A-7 highway and right on our way and in the Cote de Provence AOP. The AOP used to be AOC (Appellation d' Origines Controlee but changed to be more conforming to European designations and now referred to as Appellation d'Origines Protegees a designation like our A.V.A. here in the USA that notes a viticultural area. The winery had incorporated an old 13th century priory monastery and had great architecture, gardens and a forest for walking. It is a rather large winery covering almost 250 acres and is one of the most popular wineries in the area. 
We walked into the tasting room and in our best poor French, asked if we could taste their red wines. The friendly young woman who was the host immediately started speaking English! It was pretty obvious we were not French. As we tasted, we mentioned we had a winery in the USA and she was quite interested in what we grew. She was excited to learn that we had a bottle of our Pinot Noir with us and offered to trade for one of her wines. We were happy to trade wines and brought a few bottles with us in the hope of doing so. 
We tasted their 2019 Cuvee Lampe de Meduse which was a Syrah /Cabernet blend and designed for early drinking. It was very nice but did not have much depth. When we tasted Cuvee Prieure which was a blend of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon we were very impressed with its depth and complexity. It was made for aging. She was so passionate about wine and our trade that we almost forgot that we were jet lagged and had gotten almost no sleep the night before. We had lunch sitting at the edge of one of their vineyards and enjoyed the warm sunshine until we realized we were sitting on a stinging ants nest and had to move.
As we drove away, we saw a sign to another winery close by and decided to visit it as well. A long driveway led to Font de Broc through Extensie groves of Aleppo pines. When we arrived we were surprised by the extensive gardens and numerous stone buildings. Clearly there was a lot of attention that went into creating this estate. We eventually found the tasting room and asked to taste their vins rouges. As we talked to the host, who immediately started to speak English, she told us that the owner had built the winery from scratch and wanted it to look like it was very old.
We were very impressed having built our winery from scratch and incorporating a Romanesque design to make it look old. However Chateau Font du Broc was much larger and was far more impressive than our little winery. We tasted their 2013 Chateau Rouge and several other reds. The other reds were available only in magnums so we settled for the Chateau Rouge which was a blend of Syrah and Grenache. Their gardens and buildings were spectacular and they had fountains and some very old olive trees at least several hundred years old.
We headed on our way and found our apartment in the little medieval village of Cabrieres d' Avignon and settled in for the night. The next day we visited Oppede la Vieux and Menerbes where we had lunch. We stopped at the old Chateau of Marques de Sade and got photos of the valley below with the vineyards of Bonnieux in the Luberon AOP. After visiting the village we saw signs to several wineries. We stopped at Chateau la Canorgue and asked to taste their red wines and again they immediately started speaking English. The winery is a small family operation that farms organically and follows some biodynamic protocols. We settled for a bottle of their 2021 Chateau la Canorgue Luberon Vin biologique which was a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan.
Just down the road we came to Chateau Eydins, another small family winery. It was a small mom and pop operation and we had to use our poor French to communicate as they did not speak English. They were older and we realized that the younger people were more likely to know English. But we muddled through. The couple reminded us of ourselves- an older couple doing most of the work and reaping the benefits. 
We tasted all of their red wines and bought two bottles. One, 2018 Chateau les Eydins Les Fontetes was meant to be drunk young and at 9 Euros a real value.It was a blend of Syrah , Grenache and Carignan. The other was Le Jardin d' Eydins made with 100% Grenache. and a good value at 26 Euros.
It was getting late and we drove by Cave du Bonnieux, a wine cooperative that appeared to be an outlet for a number of small wineries. We had to stop. There was an overwhelming number of wines and wineries to select from. Most of the wines were made to be on the lighter side and not aged and drunk slightly chilled. We made a list of the wines we wanted to taste. and dove in. We were surprised at the number of people at this cooperative and how much wine they bought. People were buying wine by the case and I realized that here in the USA people did not drink nearly as much wine as the French.
They had an area where you could buy bulk wine, if you brought your own container and was under 2 Euros per liter. After tasting a half dozen reds, we settled on two bottles of 2020 Luberon Revelation. We had tasted a number of wines and were not impressed with the quality. The idea was that we would drink one bottle and take the other home. We fixed dinner that night in our apartment and had the Revelation. We were shocked that it was so good and wished we had waited and brought both bottles home. We figured that our taste buds had gotten fatigued and we could not accurately assess the wine quality. Our guess was that after several hours our taste buds returned to normal and combined with dinner, found that we had been too critical.
The next day we continued to explore the Luberon and discovered the medieval village of Gordes and fell in love with the place. We also visited L' Isle sur la Sorgue on market day and looked for locally produced vegetables and found an interesting tomato called Cour de Boeuf Jeune. We put in a salad and kept the seeds to try it in our own vegetable garden back home. The village is also known for its antiques and in fact has the largest antique market outside of Paris. We saw many things we would love to take home but since they were mostly 200 years old or older were out of our price range. We also visited the famous village of Roussillon with its ochre colored walls. The ochre is mined near by.
The next day we visited the Palais de Papes in Avignon and the old Medieval Pont d' Avignon Bridge that used to cross the Rhone river but part of it was washed away in a flood. and headed to Chateauneuf de Pape. This is a world famous wine area in the southern Rhone area and the wines are readily available in the USA so we were not that interested in visiting the wineries there. We were looking for a small winery that we had visited in 1976 but were not able to find it. The town appeared much larger than we had remembered and we had forgotten too much to find it, if it was still there. Just before dark we visited the Pont du Gard, one of the largest intact Roman aqueducts near Nimes.
The next day we visited Gordes again because it was market day and then headed for the town of Cassis on the Mediterranean sea east of Marseille. The AOP of Cassis is a very small wine district named after the village that is famous for their white wines. There are not much more than about a dozen wineries. We found Emile Bodin just outside of town to the north and asked to taste their wines. The reds we tasted were not very interesting but the whites were remarkable. We ended up buying a bottle of their Blanc de Blanc which was a blend of Marsanne, Ligni Blanc and Clairette and aged in Acacia wood barrels.
The next day we hoped to explore the Calanques by boat but the sea was too rough and no boats went out that day. We hiked into one not far from Cassis and it was very picturesque. Calanques look almost like fiords but instead the limestone is eroded by water and are formed by water dissolving the limestone rocks and creating long estuaries with steep sides. We walked along the harbor with its many huge yachts and portside restaurants full of diners. The French have perfected the art of dining outside. We drove on a narrow road toward La Ciotat to the east on a road called Corniche des Cretes. It was very rocky with steep cliffs plunging into the sea. It was a spectacular drive along the coast.
We eventually made it to the Bandol AOP. This is a small AOP a little larger than the Cassis AOP. It is known for its red wines made mostly from the Mouvedre grape. We saw a sign to Domaine de Fregate and followed the signs to the winery. It was not only a winery but a golf course and event space that held 320 people for dinner. Our server did not speak any English so we mumbled and stumbled with our poor French. When we mentioned we were vignerons in the USA he came alive and related that the winemaker was either from the USA or visited often, we could not quite ascertain, and would be back in several hours if we wanted to talk to him. 
We would have loved to chat and compare wine making techniques but we were driving to St Tropez and could not wait two hours. He was rather insistant and eventually gave us his card and said we could phone later to set up a time to talk. We wished we had more time to meet the winemaker. We did buy a bottle of their Bandol rouge which was 80% Mouvedre and 20% Grenache. It was very nice but still pretty tannic and will need a few years to mature and allow the tannins to soften.
We drove along the coast through Toulon, Hyeres and Cavalaire sur Mer and got a hotel in St. Tropez that evening. Just before dark, as we entered St. Tropez, we passed a large nursery that had very large, old olive trees for sale and a sign to a winery. The next day we explored the nursery and learned from the staff that most of the trees were 600 years old and the nicer ones cost a little over $40,000 each. We walked the rows of trees there must have been hundreds and each one a work of art. One was a thousand years old but it was not for sale. It was still producing olives. It was such a special place we felt as if we were in a gothic cathedral and we only spoke in whispers. After touring the nursery, we followed the signs to Domaine Bertaud Belieu which was in the Cote de Provence AOP and Terrre Tropézienne in the heart of the St. Tropez peninsula. 
We did not realize that this area was a large producer of wines. The Domaine produces 80% rose's on over 150 acres. They also produce some reds in more sunny areas of the estate. The hostess was very nice and spoke better English than we spoke French. We tasted a red they called Initial 2022 which was nice but pretty young and fruity and meant to drink slightly chilled. Then we tasted the 2019 Prestige red and were quite impressed. It was full bodied and 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Mouvedre and was a steal at 17 Euros. Earlier we had mentioned that we had a winery in the USA and I asked if she would be interested in trading for a bottle of our wine. I had a bottle of Syrah and our 2016 Cabernet sauvignon and she seemed delighted to choose the Cabernet. When we told her it was the best Cab I had made she handled the bottle like it was the crown jewels of England. She was so pleased she said she would open it on Christmas. She promised to email us and give her opinion. We left feeling elated that someone valued our wine so much and we felt lucky to have her wine.
The day was forecast to be a rainy one so instead of taking the freeway to Menton near Italy which would take about an hour and a half, we decided to drive the coastal route which took all afternoon. We drove through Ste. Maxime, Frejus and Cap du Roux. Cap du Roux was a cape with red sandstone cliffs that dropped into the sea and the road (and railroad) was carved into the side of the cliffs. It was spectacular. We had moules for lunch with a baguette in a restaurant crowded with locals. The spot was right on the beach and the moules were the best we ever had. We drove on through intermittent showers through the famous city of Cannes and Antibes and into Nice and to our apartment in Menton, a stones throw from Italy. This would be our home for the next three days as we explored the area between Nice and Monaco.
The next morning we walked along the beach next to the Menton casino and then drove to Cap Ferrat just south of Nice. It is called the billionaires peninsula because of the extremely expensive homes on cliffs above the sea. We visited the famous estate of Ephrussi de Rothchild and toured the magnificent gardens. They were designed so well that most views also included a view of the sea. As we came around a corner and saw the manor home, the fountains came alive to the sounds of Motzart with speakers hidden in the shrubbery. The fountains kept time with the music and it felt so sublime. It was a beautiful sunny but windy day and we had lunch in the manor.
The next day we went to the medieval village of Eze and strolled the famous exotic gardens on the south facing cliffs. The famous exotic garden of Monaco was closed for the year for maintenance but this garden was a close second. There were railings to keep people from falling off the pathways 1,000 feet above the sea. There were many species of succulent plants including cacti, Echeveria and Beaucarneas from Mexico and Aloes from South Africa. You could see Cap Ferrat in the distance.
Rain was predicted for the afternoon and we decided that we would first explore the remote medieval village of Peillon in the Alpes Maritimes. Using GPS was the only way we could find this village. It is off the beaten tourist path and in fact the road leading to the village is so narrow and steep and with extremely sharp switchbacks that buses or any large vehicle could not navigate the road. The town was on a steep sloping ridge and built in the 12th to 14th century. We realized how tough it must have been to live in a village with such steep paths and so far up the mountain. People still live there and we imagined getting groceries to the top of the village would be a lot of work because the streets were too narrow for cars. Just as it started to rain we left the village and drove to the AOP of Bellet. Wine tasting would be a good use of a rainy afternoon.
Bellet is the tiniest AOP in Provence and the Cote d' Azure. There are less than 150 acres of vineyards and only 9 wineries. The area is mostly to the northwest of Nice but apparently still in the city limits. The Alpes Maritime come almost down to the sea and deep valleys run north and south. The valleys are filled with industry and homes and the ridges and slopes support vines and homes. Many of the vineyards are on single row terraces and the area is so steep that most everything has to be done by hand. Most of the vines are "Bio" or we would say organic. 
The winds blow down the hills at night and up the hill during the day so they rarely have to spray for Powdery mildew. The soil is so sandy and rocky that the dreaded Phylloxera can not survive in the soils so most vines are on their own roots. What is most special about the area are the grapes. The grape Folle Noir (crazy black in English) is inconsistent in quality and production. Vineyard owners have not been able to figure out what makes it so inconsistent. In a bad year they often dump the wine or blend it in small amounts with other varietals. We found Chateau de Bellet at the top of a ridge after a windy narrow switch back road. The tasting room was in an old chapel that had been deconsecrated. We decided to do a full wine tasting (there were only four wines) and it was the only winery we visited where they charged for a tasting. 
We tasted their Chateau de Bellet white that was a blend of 80% Rolle (Vermentino) and 20% Chardonnay. We were surprised at the complexity of flavors and realized it was an exceptional white wine. Then we tasted their La Chapelle white with 85% Rolle and 15% Chardonnay and had been oaked and were even more amazed at the quality. It was less fruity but had many layers of flavor. Then we tasted the Chateau de Bellet red which was 30% Folle Noire, 25% Braquet and 40% Grenache. It was delightful and quite complex. Then we tasted the La Chapelle which was 75% Folle Noire, 22% Grenache and 3% Braquet and were blown away at how good it was. It was clearly the best wine we had tasted on this trip and the most expensive at 38 Euros.
We drove down the road and stopped at Domaine de la Source but no one was around. It was very small and a house was near the tasting area. They had a nice garden and we found out later that a young couple had started it about 15 years prior. Thinking back on it now we wished we would have knocked on the door to see if someone was home. We also stopped at the very small Collet Bovis but they were also closed. Since there are only 9 wineries in the AOP we were running out of options. Finally found Chateau de Cremat which is one of the larger wineries with about 30 acres of vines. The castle was built in 1906 and is furnished with furniture from the Ritz in Paris.
There is also an art gallery on the property. 
We tasted two reds and like many of the wineries we visited, they had a less expensive red that was meant to drink young and was quite fruity. Our favorite was the Chateau de Cremat Les Rosiers with 90% Folle Noire and 10% Grenache. It was quite good and we liked it almost as much as the La Chapelle.
Our final day unfolded in Nice and vieux Cagnes sur Mer, culminating in lunch atop the medieval village with sweeping views of the sea and snow-clad Swiss Alps in the distance. Reluctantly, our journey concluded as we departed from Nice to return to Portland. Accompanying us were the spoils of our expedition—14 unscathed bottles of wine. Our exploration of other wineries sparked ideas to enhance our own. We trust you relish this chronicle of our adventure .