A great day out last week with a lovely group of Americans ( from Chicago, San Francisco, Wasington DC ) , all devotees of Chateauneuf du Pape. First port of call: Chateau Beaucastel, where Thomas Perrin grandson of the great Jaques Perrin..and a man with one of the most impressive spitting techniques I’ve ever seen.. introduced the estate , some of their  unique wine making steps  ( including the intense heating up of the must prior to fermentation to help with ageing potential/reduce the need for sulpher etc.) In the coolness of the cellars, we tasted a wide selection of the range including white and red regular cuvee CNduP , Coudolet CduR, their all syrah Vinsobre and a very elegant Vacqueyras. But the star of the show was the 1997 regular cuvee , great super smooth mouthfeel, gamey but not barnyard, loved by all. On to La Nerthe where we tasted recent vintages of the regular cuvee, red and white but also reds from 1997 ( totally different style this one , made by the previous regime to Alain Dugas, much more traditional…positively funky, but lovely to my palate. To round off the morning we strong armed Sylvie Chabran into opening a bottle of the 1984, light in colour and body but still full of sweet red summer fruits and a seductive lingering finish. Bottles purchased in hand we set off to Verger les Papes for a great meal on the terrace, pretty much perfection! Thanks for the business Mr. Arkin. 

To CNduP yesterday on a bit of a day out…Jude and I took the soft top out for a stroll and took in Carpentras market and then on to one of our favourite restaurants and CNduP’s best : Le Verger des Papes. This bistro at the top of the village has a magnificent terrace with a superb vista, the rhone valley with its vines and woods rolling out before you, Mt. Ventoux and the Dentelles to your left, the rhone river winding to your right and the Palais des Papes at Avignon clearly visible in the distance. The foods pretty good too! Unusually “unfussy” presentation on the plate is a welcome relief. There’s a menu de jour at lunchtime for 19 euros but we went for the 4 course Menu de Vergers ( mixed grilled fish, agneau, fromage selection with picadon, st.felicien, strawberry vacherin) for 29 euros. We drank modestly the days house white - a 2007 Nalys Chateauneuf-du-Pape - very pure/mineral, one of the estates we take clients to. Lovely. Afterwards we called in on the very affable and laid back Jean Lancon at Domaine Solitude where we had a typically english chat about the weather… the rain we’ve been having has been a bonus here at CNduP though they’ve been working hard to combat mildew. The corn flowers in amongst their vines looked spectacular. Back to La Madelene for a bbq with friends Tracy and Chuck… Chuck did all the cooking,  what more could you want from your friends!