The Long and Winding Rhône

By Chelsea Franchi

The Van Gogh Lounge was abuzz with conversation, laughter, and the tinkling of glasses. It was our last night aboard the S.S. Catherine, the Uniworld riverboat we had called home for the last week.  Now, seven nights into our adventure, what had begun with a ship full of strangers was ending with a room full of friends.

“If you would like to enter your name to win a bottle of wine in the raffle, please include the following on the paper provided: your room number and your favorite memory from the week.”

For each dinner we enjoyed over the past week, Jason had thoughtfully selected wines that reflected where we were or where we were headed, creating a running narrative that connected the places we visited with the wines in our glasses.  The wine quantities we had sent to the ship were pretty spot-on, but each dinner had a few bottles of wine that had gone unopened.  We could have brought the excess wines back home, but raffling them off sounded much more fun.

Standing beside Jason and looking out at the crowd, I felt grateful that I didn't have to choose a favorite memory. How could I? There were simply too many.

Six days earlier, my husband Trevor and I had boarded the ship in Arles, joining a group of Tablas Creek club members for a journey north along the Rhône River. The itinerary promised beautiful cities, exceptional food, and remarkable wines. But there was one destination that stood above all the others: each of us would get to spend a day at Château de Beaucastel.

Still, every pilgrimage deserves a beginning.

Our embarkation city, Arles, welcomed us with winding cobblestone streets, Roman history, and the easy charm that seems to define Provence. We spent our first two days trying to get lost in the ancient streets (unsuccessful), stay caffeinated (overly successfully), and getting acquainted with fellow travelers – usually over glasses of wine.

As we cruised north toward Avignon, anticipation steadily built. Beaucastel was getting closer.

The drive from Avignon to Beaucastel takes only about half an hour up the A7 autoroute, colloquially known as l’Autoroute du Soleil (Highway of the Sun).  In a way, it did feel like we were driving to the sun - the center of the universe.  So much of my professional life revolves around Beaucastel and the steady yet groundbreaking vision of the Perrin family. The relationship between Robert Haas and the Perrin family is the reason behind Tablas Creek, and more broadly, their partnership changed the trajectory of Rhône varieties in California.  So for me, visiting Beaucastel isn't simply a winery tour. It's a chance to stand on the hallowed ground where so much of the Tablas Creek story began.

From the moment we arrived, Beaucastel exceeded every expectation.

The Perrins completed their remarkable new cellar in 2025, and seeing it in person was one of the most impressive winery experiences I've ever had. The new construction deserves a blog piece all on its own, and in fact, Jason wrote one after his visit in 2024.  Constructed from rammed earth excavated directly from the site, it feels deeply rooted in the landscape. Hidden beneath the cellar are massive underground reservoirs that collect rainwater, while carefully designed ventilation channels harness the cooling power of the Mistral winds. The wind is channeled down to the reservoirs and then back into the cellar.  Earth, water, and wind work together to naturally regulate the building's temperature.

The result is breathtaking.

In the cellar, towering arches draw the eye upward. The lighting is dramatic yet understated. Visitors instinctively lower their voices as though entering a cathedral. The space manages to feel simultaneously cutting-edge and timeless—a reflection of the philosophy that has guided Beaucastel for generations.

After touring the cellar, we tasted a lineup of Beaucastel and Coudoulet wines before sitting down for lunch prepared by Thomas Boirel, chef of the Perrin family's Michelin-starred restaurant, l'Oustalet.

The meal was extraordinary, but what struck me most throughout the day was the generosity of the people behind the experience. Cesar Perrin joined us, sharing stories and making every guest feel welcome. It reinforced something we've long known at Tablas Creek: the Perrins are remarkable not only because of what they have built, but because of who they are.

The entire day felt deeply personal. Every detail reflected care, thoughtfulness, and hospitality. I've visited many wineries over the years, but I've never experienced anything quite like this.

It was, quite simply, a perfect day.

Back aboard the ship that evening, those of us who had visited Beaucastel found ourselves struggling to describe the experience to the group scheduled to visit the following day. We tried our best, but words seemed inadequate.

Fortunately, they returned the next evening with exactly the same reaction.

The remainder of the cruise carried us farther north through some of the world's most celebrated wine regions. In Viviers, we watched truffle-hunting Labradors work among the trees before enjoying truffles and local wines at a farmhouse. In Grignan, we wandered medieval streets and lingered over glasses of wine while watching village life unfold around us.

In Tain l'Hermitage, cruisers had a great many wine tasting options to choose from, while the more adventurous among us could opt to go for a guided vineyard walk followed by a tasting. In the afternoon, Jason and I hosted a seminar on our Lignée de Tablas wines on the ship, discussing the genesis of the project as well as the vineyards and growers who help make the idea into reality. The guests were engaged, curious, and wonderfully thoughtful with their questions, making the experience all the more interesting.

After the seminar, Trevor and I slipped away to FaceTime our daughter.  During our video call, my phone buzzed with a pair of messages from Jason.

A moment later:

While we were talking with our daughter, Jason was on the top deck, enthusiastically pointing out legendary vineyards as the ship glided past them. It was the perfect image of the week: a group of wine lovers floating through the Rhône Valley with someone whose excitement for the region is genuine and deep-rooted.

By the time we reached Lyon and later Beaune, everyone seemed to have settled into the easy rhythm of the trip. Friendships had formed. Favorite bottles had been discovered, and wine suitcases were starting to fill up. Stories had been shared over dinners, tastings, adventures in town, and cocktails on the sun deck.

Which brings me back to that final evening in the Van Gogh Lounge.

When asked to name a favorite memory, most people managed to choose just one. I couldn't.

There was Beaucastel, of course—the undeniable highlight and the reason many of us had made the journey. But there were also rainy walks through Arles, truffle dogs in Viviers, vineyard-covered hillsides gliding past our windows, conversations over dinner, late nights in the Leopard Lounge with glasses of whisky, and most of all, the simple joy of spending a week with people who share a passion for wine and the stories behind it.

The Rhône is one of the world's great wine rivers, and this cruise offered us the rare opportunity to experience it not as a series of destinations, but as a connected story.

For one magical week, we got to live that story together.