Châteauneuf-du-Pape & Avignon
We have a bucket list experience visiting two wineries in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape region, then make the short drive to Avignon for shopping and history, plus a memorable anniversary dinner.
Château de la Gardine
In 1991, the year before Marianne and I were married, we subscribed to a service called WineMaster. The company sent a couple of themed bottles per month, with details on the wine, region, and appropriate recipes for pairing.
One month, WineMaster’s featured region was the Rhône River valley in France, and our shipment included a Châteauneuf-du-Pape from Domaine Jean Didier. I marveled at the fancy name and uniquely shaped bottle, embossed with the papal crest: the crossed keys of St. Peter. The wine exceeded this impressive presentation, with its unusually full body and layers of dark fruit. For a time, we considered it to be the best wine we’d ever tasted.
More than three decades later, we were driving through Provence, living out a dream on the day of our 31st anniversary: visiting two Châteauneuf-du-Pape wineries.
Wine in Europe is classified by region, not by grape. Each region is typically comprised of multiple geographic appellations that convey varying characteristics and levels of quality based on their location and terroir. Châteauneuf-du-Pape is considered the finest of all the appellations in the 250-mile Rhône River region.
Wines made under the Châteauneuf-du-Pape Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) may include any of 13 specific grape varieties. Grenache is always the base of the famous red blend, with winemakers adding contributions from Cinsault, Counoise, Mourvèdre, Muscardin, Syrah, Terret Noir, and Vaccarèse.
We began our day of tasting at Château de la Gardine, situated a few minutes northwest of town on a small rise overlooking vineyards and the Rhône River just beyond. It is part of a large family home built in the 18th century, with underground cellars and opulent rooms for private tastings.
The winery immediately put us at ease by connecting us to an English-speaking host. The German couple next to us also received a presentation of the château’s wines in their native language. Italian was another possible option.
The wines were excellent, a cornucopia of oak, vanilla, plum, blackberry, earth, smoke, and leather. We enjoyed our leisurely tasting and assembled a small pack to ship home.
Marianne and I then made the short drive into the village for lunch, getting brief glimpses of the long-suffering ruined castle above the city. It was built in the 14th century as a getaway retreat for Pope John XII, the second of the Avignon Popes. In 1378, the antipope Clement VIII moved to the castle for protection following the Western Schism, in which bishops in Rome and Avignon both claimed to be the true pope.
When the papacy returned to Rome, the castle fell into disrepair, with stones hauled off for other building projects. Parts of the remaining castle complex were sold during the French Revolution, leaving only the inner keep. During World War II, German troops destroyed the northern half of the keep with dynamite.
We stopped at a collection of restaurants on a terrace off the main road and found a nice patio table at La Maisouneta, the best-rated amongst them. There we enjoyed a seafood medley with eggs and vegetables, a pesto burger, and a cheese-and-herb ravioli. I washed my meal down with an Agora blonde IPA from Spain.
Château de Nalys
It was another short drive to Château de Nalys, a winery with a long and rich history. It is one of the oldest properties in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, dating to the 16th century. The château is named after Jacques Nalis, a farmer for the Archdiocese of Avignon who was placed in charge of the building and vineyards in 1633. He and his descendants remained there until the French Revolution when the land was sold to a local family, who then worked it for the next seven generations. The last of these, Dr. Philippe Dufays, greatly expanded the business, doubling its acreage and exporting to markets overseas. But when his son was killed in an accident, Dufays left Nalys, and with him went its history. The business was sold to insurance company Groupama, and later to Rhône Valley wine-making giant, Guigal.
Our hosts were in no hurry, so we took a short walk through a sun-dappled olive grove to vineyards with a view. In the distance to the east, we could see a bit of snow remaining atop Mont Ventoux, a frequent and grueling stretch of the Tour de France.
We returned to the château for our tasting with a few other couples plus a bachelorette party that had taken roughly 438 photos in the vineyards. We sat around a few tables and tasted a good variety of whites and reds. Marianne and I identified a six-pack for shipping and were soon on our way to Avignon.
Avignon
King Phillip IV of France
We arrived in Avignon after a 25-minute drive and parked in a large underground garage at the edge of the old walled city. The sturdy and imposing Remparts d'Avignon are remnants of the Avignon Papacy, when the popes temporarily relocated to Avignon and needed substantial security.
Pope Boniface VIII
The move came after increasing tensions between French King Phillip IV and the papacy that began when Phillip attempted to tax the clergy. The seven-year power struggle culminated in a French attack on Pope Boniface VIII at his palace, the pope’s ex-communication of Phillip and his chief minister, Phillip’s counter-demand for papal abdication, and ultimately Boniface’s arrest and beating at the hands of the king’s men in 1303.
Boniface died a month later. His successor, Pope Benedict XI, died less than nine months after that. In 1305, Phillip IV forced a deadlocked papal conclave to elect Clement V of France. The new pope moved to Avignon in 1309, and the papacy remained there for the next 67 years.
Modern Avignon is packed with attractive pedestrian zones full of bustling shops and cafes — our primary objective on this anniversary afternoon. We wandered through dozens of stores and paused for drinks on a small plaza, sipping Hugo Spritzes and watching the world go by.
We finished at the Palais des Papes, the largest Gothic building of the Middle Ages and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The palace covers 160,000 square feet and is actually comprised of two connected buildings: the old palace of Benedict XII, and the “new” palace of Clement VI, the most extravagant of the Avignon popes. Today, it hosts frequent exhibitions, conventions, and performances.
Another building technically connected to the Palais des Papes (by an archway) is Restaurant Sevin, our anniversary dinner destination.
With a secluded view of Place du Palais, we were treated to an outstanding menu of gorgeously presented French cuisine: zucchini flowers with “crab crumbs” and roasted pine nuts; monkfish with black garlic, sweet onion, artichoke, and sunflower sprouts; Iberian pork with eggplant and cherry tomato; a cart full of refined cheeses, and two artful desserts — all paired with a selection of French wines. We left feeling immense gratitude for a night of such good fortune.
