Auberge du Vieux Puits

The Auberge du Vieux Puits (Inn of the Old Well) is a 3 Michelin star restaurant located in the village of Fontjoncouse (population 100), in the region of the Aude. Here we are in the heart of the Corbieres, a wine producing region that presently turns out wines of high quality. The restaurant is owned by the chef Gilles Goujon and his wife Marie Christine. There is a 14 room hotel on the property, replete with swimming pool and other amenities befitting a restaurant of this caliber.

Chef Goujon is a Meilleur Ouvrier de France, and he wears his collar with pride. The chef is a simple, unassuming and down-to-earth man who makes the rounds of the dining room before and after each service. His modesty, however, hides a creative talent that translates into a dining experience that is worthy of 3 stars.

One’s impression of a Michelin starred restaurant begins with the welcome the guests receive upon entering the restaurant. Here it is warm and friendly, and we know right away that we can chat up the maitre’d. The dining room is a mix of rustic (wooden floor and wooden tables without tablecloths) and modern (warm colors and design elements), and one notices that above each table embedded in the ceiling are tiny light fixtures. The lights are dimmed between courses, and turned on immediately after each course is presented so as to highlight what is on the plate.

Three menus are offered in addition to a la carte. The menus are a better value, and give the guests an idea of the technical range and creativity of the kitchen. Chef Goujon’s signature dish is something called “Rotten Egg,” an apparent riff on the Chinese “100 year old” preserved egg. While the Chinese preserved egg is quite pungent, this is anything but. A soft boiled egg is presented on a thick glass plate inside of which is hay. It appears that the egg is lying atop the hay, but of course, the hay is inside the glass. An intense truffle puree is poured over the egg, followed by shavings of the season’s first black truffles from Burgundy. When the egg is broken, a pool of truffle puree and the darkened yolk is released, hence the “rotten egg.” Accompanying the dish is a “cappuccino” of truffles, a concoction of white foam infused with an intense truffle essence. Upon tasting, the palate is hit with four layers of truffle taste, and a mix of alternating textures - soft egg, crunchy truffles and silky puree. The intensity of taste was so pronounced that it lingered and lingered until the next course was eaten. Pure genius.

The remainder of the menu featured a “cannelloni” of razor clams (razor clam encased in thin pastry, a marvel of texture), rouget in an intense reduction of red wine, and the most tender lamb from the Pyrenees. Plating is exquisite. Preceding the menu was an assortment of amuse bouche, one of which was a tiny brioche that when bitten into, exploded with, you guessed it, truffle puree. A massive cheese trolley offers some 50-60 cheeses, most of which are from the sheep and goat that are more common in the Aude than cow. The cheese are served at their optimum ripeness and proper temperature. I’m not a dessert eater, and so passed on the several that were served to my friends. The bread here is made by a Meilleur Ouvrier de France in Carcassonne who delivers his product twice a week to the restaurant. The bread is delicious, full of flavor and texture, which quality is evident by the profusion of air pockets in the bread.

Service is profession and gracious, and we chatted up the servers who were more than happy to engage. This made for a more informal interaction that added to the relaxed pace of our three hour lunch. From the kitchen to the dining room, it is evident that no detail is overlooked.

The wine list is heavy on the wines of the region, Corbieres in particular, and of neighboring Languedoc. Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhone is well represented, but the vintages are young, and there is not much in the way of aged wines. If you must drink DRC, there is a page of it, including the 2012 Montrachet that will set you back some 6,000 euros. The oldest DRC is the 1996 La Tache. The sommelier is highly competent if slightly too formal. We drank the 2010 Roumier Chambolle villages, a bottle of immense elegance and concentration. With the “Rotten Egg”, this bottle was nirvana.

Getting to Fontjoncouse is something of an adventure, as the winding roads are treacherous and not easily navigable in some stretches.
I would not advise driving to the restaurant at night. If you decide to have dinner here, arrive during the day and stay in the hotel. I asked one of the servers if the restaurant, given its location, attracted many guests. He said that lunch and dinner is full every day, drawing guests from far and wide. This is the magic of three Michelin stars, and a three star experience in every way.

nicely done.

Great write up - we did a trip consisting of many memorable ** and *** restaurants a few years back and this place easily stood out as one of the best

Peter, thanks for sharing–a lovely write-up. I have a fond spot in my heart for this place, having taken a meal in 2002. I was a grad student at the time,and on quite a limited budget. The restaurant had only 2-stars at the time, but remains one of the best restaurant deals I’ve ever had. The Euro was a somewhat novel currency, and the exchange rate was roughly 0.85$ to the Euro. I, too, recall the cheese cart being about 6 feet long and covered with cheeses all from within a mile of the restaurant. A college friend and I took the fixed meal, had a kir royale and a bottle of burgundy for around $60 each.