Beaucastel, Domaine de Cristia and the Arc de Triomphe

I don’t know what the banging in our room is- could be the heater or something like a branch hitting the roof- but I’m going to lose my mind if it doesn’t stop. tap…tap tap….tap tap tap…tap. I’m going mad! Maybe I’m just tired from waking up so early this morning for Beaucastel.

We got up, showered, had breakfast and were at Beaucastel for our 9 AM appointment with Fabrice. Our group was a couple from Israel and a couple from the UK- Shirley & Vivian. Shirley wasn’t very into the tour as much as we were- I found it interesting to learn about their philosophy, history, winemaking process and business.





The schpeal was somewhat scripted, but I still had a really great time. We walked through the enormous cellar, past the bottles of expensive and fine vintage wines to the tasting area. We tried some really wonderful wines. Vivian was annoyed we weren’t allowed to buy them- as Fabrice explained, this was for the memories, the experience of being at Beaucastel and not to make a sale.

We didn’t buy any of the wines they were allowing purchase of, but we were happy to hear that ’07 looks like its going to be a monster vintage. We’re hoping to buy a few bottles from some of the vineyards we visited when they are ready and drink them on future anniversaries.

The Danish guys we met yesterday told us about one of their favorite places, Domaine de Cristia in nearby Courthezon. We figured that anything they loved and recommended merited a visit from us. It definitely didn’t disappoint.

Although we didn’t have an appointment, Baptiste let us come in. We sat with him for an hour, tasting and talking- and we got our very first barrel samples! The first was his 2006 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Vieilles Vignes (old vines) and the second was what he had intended to be his 2006 Cuvée Renaissance but subsequently decided that it was good but not amazing- and plans to blend it into this year’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It was kind of cool that what we were drinking would never be produced. It was also cool to hear his thought about how the wine didn’t meet his criteria as a special standalone wine.


We bought two bottles and walked up the road to the Table du Princes for lunch. Of course they served Domaine de Cristia wine so we got a bottle and enjoyed it with our meal. This place had the most hysterical bathroom sign. We went back to the B&B, napped and headed back to orange to see the 1st Century Arc de Triomphe. You can still see the elaborate carvings commemorating the Roman’s victories over the Gauls in 49 B. C.



We took some pictures and walked past the old theater which looks incredible lit up at night. We had dinner at this nice little place nearby, Le Rom’Antique and then headed back to the B&B. It’s so dark out here in the countryside and the stars are really clear. Its one of our favorite things to look at when we get home every night.