Unauthorized

I have combined two dinners at La Beaugravière for simplicity, but I had the great fortune to dine there with my wife and the dearest of friends in the midst of an extraordinary truffle season in the Vaucluse/Tricastin region. I always eat at La Beaugravière in the fall, when I’m treated to conserved truffles, but at this time of year, the kitchen has huge jars of recently harvested truffles, and to have them so fresh is one of the greatest treats of life. It was a much better truffle season for this region than it was in the Périgord region, where it was essentially average in quality. It was also a pleasure to stay in one of La Beaugravière’s simple rooms as one would not want to drive after all the wine and food we consumed.

The food here is the finest of Provence, and Chef Guy Jullien, assisted by his charming wife, Tina, prepares everything from scratch. There is an honesty and integrity to his cooking that is enormously admirable. His extraordinary duck terrine stuffed with black truffles was so good that the diners demanded more than he could prepare and he ran out of it the second night we were there. The homemade noodles with black truffles, the frisé salad (which must have had a half pound of truffles on it), the puffed pastry shell stuffed with a whole black truffle as well as a big lobe of foie gras served in a wonderfully reduced brown sauce with black truffles, and the chicken stuffed with black truffles under the skin were all sumptuous courses. In fact, there was not one item on the menu that did not include black truffles. Obviously that comes at a price, but all the diners (we were the only Americans) were eager to pay homage to Chef Jullien’s reputation as the king of black truffles from this part of France.

The wines were all Châteauneuf du Papes, which for me, work with truffles and just about every other cuisine I can think of. The extraordinary 2004 Roussanne Vieilles Vignes from Beaucastel boasts an unctuous richness along with tremendous honeysuckle and rose petal notes, the thick texture of the greatest of grand cru white Burgundies, and amazing richness and length. It has not yet entered that so-called dumb stage these wines tend to experience. Each night we had a magnum of Domaine Pierre Usseglio’s 2003 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée Mon Aïeul. This wine represents Provence in a bottle as well as the essence of Châteauneuf du Pape. Notes of lavender, ground pepper, sweet black cherries and cassis, and hints of blueberries as well as roasted Provençal herbs emerge from this beauty. Even Chef Jullien asked for a glass the second night stating that he believed it was one of the monumental Châteauneuf du Papes ever made. However, it was equaled, perhaps eclipsed by the extraordinary 2000 and 2001 Vieille Julienne Châteauneuf du Pape Réserve. From ancient Grenache vines (nearly 100 years old) planted in pure sand, these deep ruby/purple-colored wines are still young, probably 5-10 years away from full maturity. However, they are so limited in availability that any time I see them on a wine list, I am happy to pay the price, and drink them with enthusiasm. The inky/blue/purple-hued 2001 Domaine de la Mordorée Châteauneuf du Pape Reine des Bois was pure perfection. A more modern-styled Châteauneuf du Pape, it is an impeccably made, extraordinary wine that will be at its finest in 5-6 years, and last for two decades or more.

As long-time readers of the Hedonist Gazette know, I can’t recommend this restaurant highly enough. The wine list has the greatest selection of Rhône wines anywhere in France, if not the world, and the classic Provençal cuisine is honest, full of flavor, and extremely fresh.