I had the pleasure of meeting Poppy Nicole Salinger at a cocktail party at her Paris apartment several years ago, but it wasn’t until now that I was able to accept her invitation to the Bastide Rose, her boutique hotel in Provence.
Her name may sound familiar to Washingtonians. She is the widow of Pierre Salinger, who served as press secretary to President John Kennedy and who lived in Georgetown. The couple were a superb match. Following her husband’s death in 2004 she created le Musée Pierre Salinger at Le Bastide as a permanent memorial to the man and his times.
We pointed our Fiat towards the village of Le Thor, a scant 17 miles from Avignon, and left the main highway for a narrow country lane bordered by cornfields until we found this most charming of destinations.
We were met by her husband, Aygulf Le Cense, who insisted on toting our bags to the main house. We insisted on mounting the staircase with our luggage to our splendid “Lavender” suite. Decorated with 18th-century provençal furniture, it offered a living-room with a view on the sculpture park and a bedroom with a view on the river, the island and the courtyard.
Once we were settled, it was time for a vintage pastis along the banks of Le Sorgue, where we met a charming couple from Houston and old friends of Poppy who were making their annual visit. (More than a third of her guests are regulars.)
Before dinner we had time to visit the Pierre Salinger Museum that is updated regularly with documents, photographs and memorabilia, including her late husband’s upright piano. The San Francisco-born, francophone Pierre was emblematic of the young blood assembled by JFK to bring vigor and purpose to the New Frontier.
Emmanuel de Menthon, Poppy’s son with her first husband, offers fresh and authentic cuisine for lunch or dinner. His “discovery of the day” often comes from the local farmer’s market and is served on small tables or on a communal table (upon request) on one of the two terraces or in the winter garden. Dining is accompanied by local and national wines: Gigondas, Vacqueyras and, of course, Châteauneuf du Pape, without forgetting the delicious country wines Luberon and Côtes du Ventoux.
We were joined at dinner by Poppy, Aygulf, Charles Pomméry of the Champagne house and his wife Colette for a convivial meal that begin with tomatoes so sweet and fresh that I thought I was back in New Jersey in August where beefsteaks are king. A fresh grilled white fish with seasonal vegetables and plenty of wine were pure pleasure.
This is a place that exudes serenity. I could easily have stayed for a week with a few books, dips in the pool, leisurely walks and conversation with the assortment of international guests in search of the same.
So, come for a few days, taste wines in nearby Chateauneuf du Pape, shop for antiques in Isle Sur La Sorgue and most of all bath in the warm hospitality of Poppy and her family.
