Why choose the food and wine pairing in a Michelin-starred restaurant?
The menu is chosen. The first plates arrive. Then sometimes comes the hesitation: follow the agreement proposed by the sommelier or choose a bottle that we already know? At Colette, the answer rarely starts with wine. It begins with the plate.
This is the question that Lubin Morillas, sommelier of the restaurant Colette, asks his customers when they hesitate between the proposed agreement and their own choice. His answer is always the same. Saint-Pierre with basil, kale, herbaceous oil; cauliflower-caviar-curry-anchovy; 86% Peru-lemon-praline-coriander chocolate... In a gastronomic restaurant, dishes are designed like works of art. Wine sublimates this creation without ever dominating it.
At Le Colette, the wine list is not built to impress. It is built to accompany the cuisine of Philippe Colinet: a cuisine of seasonal produce, rooted in the Mediterranean terroir. 120 references, an important place for the Provençal and Var domains and a philosophy shared between the Chef and the sommelier.
In September, it is the harvest time in Provence. The perfect moment to understand where these wines come from and why they are on this map.
The wine cellar of Colette, at a glance:
- - 120 wine references
- - Food and wine pairings: €66 (3 glasses) / €110 (5 glasses) / €145 (7 glasses)
- - Alcohol-free pairing: €100 (5 glasses)
- - Sommelier: Lubin Morillas
- - Many Provençal and Var estates: Fondugues-Pradugues, Château Martinette, Rimauresq, Domaine Tempier, Château Revelette, Château Minuty
The portrait of Lubin Morillas, sommelier
Lubin Morillas, 24 years old, is the sommelier of Le Colette. He builds and maintains this cellar on a daily basis. He selects the domains, proposes the agreements, adjusts the menu according to the vintages and arrivals. When a customer hesitates, they are the ones who ask the right questions: not 'what wine do you like?' but 'what dish will you order?' The agreement always starts from the kitchen, never from the bottle.
For Lubin, this sometimes means leaving aside an obvious bottle to go look for a less anticipated reference. A successful agreement is not necessarily the one you would have imagined yourself: it’s the one that makes you look at the dish differently, from the very first sip.
Some references that are often served at the Colette:
- - Bandol Rouge Domaine Tempier 2023
- > Type: Red wine
- > To the eye: Dark ruby dress with purple highlights.
- > On the nose: Notes of black fruits, leather, and undergrowth.
- > Palate: Fruity and balanced, with present but supple tannins. Over time, notes of black fruits, spices, and licorice.
- > Agreements: Red meats, simmered Provençal dishes or game.
- - Moët & Chandon Brut Grand Vintage 2016
- > Type: Champagne brut
- > To the eye: A brilliant dress with green and gold highlights.
- > On the nose: Aromas of toast, toasted cereals, and toasted hazelnut. Then fruity and floral nuances (mirabelle plum, quince and orange blossom).
- > Palate: Round and supple, with a fresh finish.
- > Agreements: Refined appetizers, wild mushroom risotto or citrus pie.
- - Château Barbeyrolles Rose Petal 2025
- > Type: Rosé wine—PDO Côtes de Provence
- > To the eye: Salmon pink dress.
- > On the nose: Gourmand with floral notes (jasmine and acacia) and fruity (peach with a touch of strawberry).
- > On the palate: aromatic, round and balanced.
- > Particularity: Organic farming. A reference particularly appreciated by the American clientele of Colette.
- > Pairings: Appetizers, Mediterranean dishes, fish, Asian cuisine, cheeses, and fruity desserts.
Why the wines of Provence naturally go well with the cuisine of Philippe Colinet
The Mediterranean is the common denominator.
This is the kind of agreement that does not try to explain the Mediterranean: it makes it feel. One gulp, one bite, and the link between the two becomes obvious. A coherence of territory.
At the table, this proximity is almost instinctively felt: the same landscapes seem to be found on the plate and in the glass. The herbs, the sun, the freshness sought after in seafood, the mineral notes... Wine does not tell another story. It extends that of the dish.
The cuisine of Philippe Colinet is anchored in Var products: vegetables from Yann Ménard to Cogolin, fish from La Poissonnerie to Puget-sur-Argens, wild herbs picked on the peninsula. Products that have grown under this sun and in these soils.
The wines of Provence share this context. Depending on the terroir, limestone or clay-limestone soils, maritime influence and the Mediterranean climate contribute to very different wine profiles, some of which offer freshness and structure sought after to accompany the cuisine of Philippe Colinet.
An agreement that illustrates this proximity: a Mediterranean fish accompanied by a Bandol white. The terroir of the wine and that of the dish naturally respond to each other. The drink and the dish have grown in the same air.
In September, the Provençal harvest begins. This is the moment when winemakers harvest what they have grown since spring and when sommeliers begin to anticipate the vintages that will arrive in their cellars in twelve to eighteen months.
The Provençal domains à la carte at Le Colette
The wine list at Le Colette is not a prestige list built around major international appellations. It is built around a coherence: the wines that best accompany the Mediterranean cuisine of Philippe Colinet.
And behind each reference, there is above all a territory. Here are some of the estates that give the Colette cellar its Provençal and Var colour:
|
Domain |
Terroir |
À la carte |
|
Fondugues-Pradugues |
Ramatuelle |
White, red |
|
Martinette |
Lorgues |
White, rosé, red |
|
Rimauresq |
Pignans |
White, rosé, red |
|
Tempier |
Bandol |
White |
|
Revelette |
Aix-en-Provence |
White, red |
|
Minuty |
Côtes de Provence |
White |
Domaine Fondugues-Pradugues — Ramatuelle, Var
Estate that works in biodynamics in the Var, a few kilometers from Saint-Tropez.
Present on the Colette menu with several cuvées:
- - Cuvée Lys des Sables 2024 (white, Vin de France) — €15 per glass / €70 per bottle
- - Summer Red 2023 (red, Provence) — €15 per glass / €80 per bottle
- - Equinox 2020 (red, Vin de France) — €100 per bottle
It is also the estate that Maxime Richard, head concierge of the Sezz and member of the Clefs d'Or, recommends for visits in September: tastings, lunches and dinners in the vineyards.
Château Revelette — Jouques, Bouches-du-Rhône — AOP Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence
Organic estate in the region, known for its expressive whites and characterful reds.
Regular presence in the best restaurants in the region such as Le Relais des Moines in Les Arcs-sur-Argens.
- - Le Grand Blanc 2023 (white) — €130 per bottle
- - Le grand Rouge 2021 (red) — €160 per bottle
Château Minuty — Gassin, Var — AOP Côtes de Provence
One of the reference houses for the rosé de Provence. Cru classé, international presence, but irreducible Var anchorage.
- - Blanc & Or 2023 (white) — €100 per bottle
Pairings that reveal the philosophy of the Colette
Lubin, our sommelier, does not offer a pairing for every dish. He offers a conversation, an option that changes the reading of the dish without imposing itself in place of the dish.
Here are three examples that illustrate this philosophy.
Eggplant and white wine
The eggplant from the Substances menu—cooked, braised, smoked—is a dish that seems simple and is actually very complex. Three firings for a single vegetable, a smoky depth that requires a wine capable of standing in front of it without crushing it.
An example: Françoise Roumieux 2024, Châteauneuf-du-Pape blanc.
A white from the southern Rhône with this round texture and minerality that responds to the smoke of eggplant. A white that is not afraid of plants.
The common mistake with eggplant is to believe that it asks for a red one. The smoke calls for texture: a white with fat and length does the work better.
Tracks and white
Tracks or "pistes", this small Mediterranean rockfish worked in saffron soup with risotto and aioli, is a geographically anchored dish. It smells the port, in the morning, the Mediterranean.
A proposal: Domaine Tempier 2023, white Bandol.
A salty white, almost iodized, with a length in the mouth that extends the fish.
Bandol and the Mediterranean are synonymous. The terroir of the wine and that of the dish respond directly.
The pigeon and red wine
The pigeon, when it is on the Sens menu, leaves the Mediterranean register to enter something deeper, more animal, longer in the mouth.
This is also where we understand that geographical proximity is not an absolute rule in Colette. The winery remains loyal to its territory, but it does not lock itself in there. When the dish calls for another terroir, Lubin goes elsewhere to look for it.
A possibility: Rapet father and son 2022, Aloxe-Corton, Burgundy.
A Pinot noir from Burgundy, with the finesse and length that accompany meats with precision.
For the pigeon, the dish required something that the Midi does not yet give as well, this lace of Pinot on a meat with character. Aloxe-Corton is the right answer.
This is the agreement that best illustrates the spirit of the Colette cellar: Provençal in its foundations, open to the rest of France when the dish asks it.
What matters is not to drink local at all costs. It’s to drink right.
An oenological journey with every meal
Beyond the simple tasting, each meal at the restaurant Colette is transformed into a real wine experience.
At the Colette, the experience does not stop when the wine is poured into the glass. An appellation, a domain, a vintage can open a conversation about a producer, a terroir or a way of working the vineyard. Sometimes, a few words from the sommelier are enough to change the tasting.
A carte true to our values
Through his cuisine and the management of his team, Chef Colinet transmits his values day after day. Favoring local and artisanal know-how, seasonal products, he has established lasting relationships with many producers in the region.
The wine list follows the same logic as the cuisine: local and organic wines first, short circuits as much as possible, classic grands crus when the dish calls for it. Wine is not a prestige card separate from the kitchen, it is an extension of it.
September: harvest and wines in Provence since the Sezz
There is a difference between drinking wine and knowing where it comes from.
For those who want to understand where these wines come from, September is the ideal month.
The grape harvest generally takes place between the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, with variable dates depending on the areas, grape varieties and conditions of the vintage. Earlier for the fields in plain, a little later for the terroirs of altitude. This is the moment when the vines are in full activity, when the teams work at dawn, when the grapes go from the plant to the tank in a few hours.
The Domaine de Fondugues-Pradugues, located in the Var and available on the Colette menu, offers tours during this period. Maxime Richard, head concierge of the Sezz, can book your visit: tasting, meeting with the winemaker, possibility to have lunch in the vineyards.
After walking between the rows of vines, meeting the winemaker and discovering the gestures that precede bottling, the wine list reads differently. In the evening, at Le Colette, a cuvée that might have been chosen for its name or its appellation now tells of a landscape, an encounter and a few hours spent in the vineyards.
The wine then becomes a souvenir of Saint-Tropez that you can take with you.
Practical information—The wine cellar of the Colette restaurant
- - Address: Hôtel Sezz Saint-Tropez, 151 route des Salins, 83990 Saint-Tropez
- - Access: 5 minutes from the center of Saint-Tropez, 10 minutes from the beaches of Pampelonne
- - Sommelier: Lubin
- - Cellar: 120 references
- - Food and wine pairings: €66 (3 glasses) / €110 (5 glasses) / €145 (7 glasses)
- - Alcohol-free pairing: €100 (5 glasses)
- - Menus: Substances (5 acts) and Meaning (7 acts)
- - Dinner only: 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
- - Opening in September and October: Thursday to Monday, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
- - Musical evenings: Monday evening, 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- - Reservation: recommended,
- - Open to residents and outside visitors
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Restaurant Colette, a unique setting, a singular signature and a modern concept
