Lubéron Wineries

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More from Features

William Echikson
Posted: April 26, 2001


		Above: Auberge La Fenière


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Lubéron Wineries

By William Echikson

Michel Tardieu
Château la Canorgue
Domaine de la Citadelle
Château des Tourettes
Château la Verrerie

Michel Tardieu

Michel Tardieu learned about wine in a surprising way-driving French government dignitaries around the Rhône Valley. For 15 years, he worked as a chauffeur. The job offered Tardieu a lot of free time: He would deposit his passenger at a meeting, rush off to nearby vineyards for tastings, and return in time to pick up the client. "It was a great education," he says.

Since retiring as a driver in 1996, the boyish, gentle Tardieu, now 43, has wielded his encyclopedic knowledge of the region's vineyards to become one of the Rhône's premier négociants. He has teamed with esteemed Burgundy merchant Dominique Laurent; their Tardieu-Laurent house releases only about 65,000 bottles a year and has a long waiting list of frustrated wine lovers unable to buy what they want elsewhere.

Until recently, Tardieu has managed on a shoestring budget, operating out of an office above the kitchen in his home in the village of Lauris. But a new office and modern cellar opened in early March. Neither are open to the public, though if serious wine lovers call, the friendly Tardieu will not turn them away.

Quartier les Ferrailles, Route de Cucuron, 84560 Lourmarin
Telephone (011) 33-4-90-68-80-25
Fax (011) 33-4-90-68-22-65
E-mail tarnau@club-internet.fr
Open Weekdays, by appointment

Château la Canorgue

This organic, family-run winery is located just below the hillside village of Bonnieux. There's a tasting room for visitors-nothing lavish, but warm and comfortable. The wines here are good values, particularly the rich, rustic reds (about $7). Owner Jean-Pierre Margan and winemaker Philippe Soulard are enthusiastic hosts who often greet guests in person.

84480 Bonnieux
Telephone (011) 33-4-90-75-81-01
Fax (011) 33-4-90-75-82-98
Open Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon, 2:30 to 5 p.m.

Domaine de la Citadelle

Film producer Yves Rousset-Rouard poured much of his fortune into this Napa Valley-style domaine just below the village of Ménerbes. Citadelle allows visitors into its sparkling cellars, and treats them to a corkscrew museum. The domaine produces a wide variety of smooth, perfumed reds and whites, both traditional blends and New World varieties, including a varietal Cabernet Sauvignon (only about $4 at the domaine), the 1999 vintage of which was rated outstanding by Wine Spectator.

Route de Cavaillon, 84560 Ménerbes
Telephone (011) 33-4-90-72-41-58
Fax (011) 33-4-90-72-41-59
E-mail citadelle@pacwan.fr
Open Call for seasonal hours

Château des Tourettes

Three years ago, the famed Burgundy grower and merchant Jean-Marie Guffens bought this château and about 60 acres of vines on the outskirts of Apt. Since then, he has produced red and white wines under two labels: Château des Tourettes, for the grapes he grows and vinifies himself at the estate, and Verget du Sud, for the ones he vinifies at a local cooperative.

84400 Apt
Telephone (011) 33-4-90-74-27-34
Fax (011) 33-4-90-74-28-20
Open By appointment

Château la Verrerie

The views from the dirt path leading up through vineyards high into the Lubéron hills are spectacular. So is the elegant tasting room, which resembles a chic Parisian boutique. The fresh Bastide whites and reds (about $5) make for easy quaffing; the Grand Deffand (about $18) is more concentrated and complex.