Our days at Mirabel in April were so filled with remodeling chores that I didn’t take time to post blog entries. The days came and went and soon nearly five weeks had gone by without a full day off from work, but by May 2nd – our last day in Provence – we thought we’d reached a stopping point and could take the day off. On Monday, April 30th, our maçon François, cut the last tiles for the upstairs bathroom and ceased creating dust, so we used the May 1st holiday with no workmen in the house to clean ferociously in a frantic effort to get it in shape for the arrival of Dory and her entourage, since they will be the first to inhabit our almost completely remodeled house.
Jim and Francois installing the glass shower panel
Jim and I had planned to hike a little in the Baronnies and drive to the small town of Buis-les-Baronnies to explore its shops on our last day, but first we stopped at Mirabel to pay François and consult with him about his next work tasks. François was happy to see us for many reasons, not the least of which was that he desperately needed help installing the glass shower wall for the downstairs bathroom shower.
The glass was extremely heavy and unwieldy, impossible for one person to deal with, so Jim was enlisted as sous maçon for the project. After a couple of hours, the shower glass was installed and we left François to finish his work on both of the bathrooms. It was, however, too late for our excursion into the Baronnies, so we decided to limit our horizons and explore quite a bit closer to Mirabel-aux-Baronnies. We knew that Puyméras, a village only about 2 km from Mirabel, is the closest of the named Côtes du Rhône Villages wine villages to Chez Mirabel. We had never been there, but our friends Jean-Marc and Kristin Espinasse from Domaine Rouge-Bleu had recommended a charming restaurant in the village called Le Girocèdre owned by a woman who is also the village mayor. This would be a perfect time to explore this little village and its wines, so we drove down the road a couple of kilometers toward Vaison-la-Romaine and turned off at a rond-point in the direction of Puyméras.
Puyméras is a delightful small village located on a rock promontory in the middle of vineyards and lavender fields, overlooked by the ruins of a castle destroyed during the French revolution. Its narrow, winding streets flanked by lovingy restored village houses are a delight to explore and the views of Mt. Ventoux and the surrounding countryside from the top of the village are exquisite. We parked at a small car park midway up the main route to the village just below the ruins of the castle. It was shortly after the first round of the French presidential elections and the car park was lined with posters of many of the candidates, some of whom, based on sentiments expressed in their posters, might have joined in the burning and pillaging of the old chateau were it still extant.
We followed the arrow on the chalk-board sign across the street leading us to Le Girocèdre. Its welcoming gates were open. The day was lovely, perfect for dining en terrasse, which we requested. The auberge in which the restaurant is located is ivy-clad and cheery. Its terrace is spread over a large space so there is ample room for enjoying a fair amount of privacy, even when it is filled with people. Vegetables and herbs grow amidst the flowers in the garden.
We ordered the Menu du Marché for 18 euro and chose a Côtes du Rhône rosé from the Domaine le Puy du Maupas, a winery located on the outskirts of Puyméras.
As an apéritif accompanying our first glass of wine, we were served toasts with tapenade and hummous. The first course was a large salade composée with cucumbers, tomatoes, artichokes, olives, tapenade and a fig paste. It was garden-fresh, simple and delicious.
The bread served with it was great, so we asked whether it was from the local bakery. They said no, the Puyméras bakery was not good enough so they bought their bread from the Faucon bakery. We decided that nearby Faucon would be one of our next destinations to explore. (We have never been there, but we know it is lovely because we purchased a painting of the village a few years ago.)
Our main course was fish (a delicate dorade with crispy skin in a sorrel sauce). It was garnished with fresh vegetables and a balsamic vinegar reduction, and served with petit épautre (a traditional Provençal grain which is a type of spelt, but much more tender and tasty than the larger spelt grains which we get in the US.)
Dessert was moelleux au chocolat à la guimauve. Moelleux au chocolat is like a chocolate lava cake and guimauve is marshmallow. In this rendition, the small, moist chocolate cake had a pistachio marshmallow filling with a raspberry purée garnish. We forgot to take a photo before devouring it so you’ll just have to use your imagination!
Our wine was a lovely, very pale and crisp rosé from the Domaine le Puy du Maupas, and we enjoyed it so much we planned to stop at the Domaine to buy some bottles on our way home. It was labeled as a simple Côtes du Rhône rather than a Côtes du Rhône Villages Puyméras, so we knew it would not be very expensive to acquire.
After leaving the restaurant, we took a walk exploring the narrow streets of the village, enjoying the beautiful houses, fountains and architecture, and finally taking in the views at the high points of the Vieux Village.
We had a lovely time exploring the village, but needed to get back to our house in Cairanne to start packing up for a trip back home. We didn’t have time to stop at the Puyméras Cave Cooperative, but did take time to stop at the Domaine le Puy du Maupas to pick up some of the lovely rosé wine we had so enjoyed. The Puy du Maupas turned out to be located just off the rond-point which marked the turn-off to Puyméras from the main route between Vaison-la-Romaine, Mirabel-aux-Baronnies, and Nyons.
We had a great time tasting their wine and were happy to find that the beautiful rosé we so enjoyed was only 6 euros a bottle, so we purchased a half case. We were also happy to note that the Domaine was so easily accessible to our house in Mirabel. We can purchase wine there at any time. It’s easier than going to the supermarket!
The Côtes du Rhône Villages Puyméras wine appellation includes the villages of Mérindol-les-Oliviers, Mollans-sur-Ouvèze, Faucon, Saint Romain en Viennois, as well as Puyméras itself. Puyméras is one of only about 20 villages that are permitted to append their names to the Côtes du Rhône Villages appellation because they have been determined to be of higher quality than those in the general Côtes du Rhône Villages appellation. We’ve now resolved to explore all of the villages within the Puyméras appellation as soon as possible.
Lynda Gardner
This week Mirabel friends,, Olivier and Sue, took me to see the lavender fields in full bloom. It was glorious! These fields are located on a lovely small road just outside of Vinsobres, 5 km away. We spent hours meandering through row after row of perfect purple blossoms, drinking in the fresh lavender scent. Legions of bees buzzed among the flowers while cicadas sang their distinctive song from trees nearby. It was amazing to see how the lavender thrives in the very rocky soil. A memorable morning outing! We couldn’t resist taking picture after picture. Here are a few to give you an idea. –Dory
