Following:
Guided Visit of Château Chenonceau, Residence of Diana de Poitier and of Katharina de Medici, Mistress (the Former) and Wife (the Latter) of King Henry II - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
we stayed in Chenonceau for the night an dinner at Auberge du Bon Laboureur.
Auberge du Bon Laboureur is a 5-star very charming, luxury hotel in the heart of Chenonceau, steps away from Château Chenonceau. The building dates from 1786 and was once the town’s post
house. This place is magnificent with completely renovated rooms, a lovely garden, a very good
restaurant and all amenities of a 5-star hotel.
Some of us took advantage of the pool before dinner.
Dinner started with the aperitif and the amuse bouche - lovely oysters - in the courtyard of the hotel. From there, we moved to the dining roome for the remainder of the dinner.
The dinner was in my view at the Michelin star level. The restaurant lost its Michelin star in 2019 (see below). Gault&Millau has maintained a 14/20 rating. Recently, Auberge du Bon Laboureur hired a new, acomplished chef, Julien Perrodin, to work alongside Chef/ Owner Antoine Jeudi.
In 2024, Auberge du Bon Laboureur won the Best Wine List Award in the category "Traditonal Restaurants" of Terre de Vins, a leading gourmet journal in France.
Michelin Guide Auberge du Bon Laboureur in Chenonceau
Family-owned for over a hundred years, what’s now the Auberge du Bon
Laboureur is more than twice as old as that; what began as a coaching
inn in the year 1786 is now a beautiful little boutique hotel, combining
the personable atmosphere of a private residence with the style and
service of a professional lodging. The location, in Chenonceaux, a
lovely Loire Valley village, is splendid — the chateau, a few minutes’
walk from your door, is a local highlight.
The hotel has grown over the years, adding a handful of additional
houses to the original coaching inn. The rooms, across all of the
buildings, combine antique charm with contemporary focus, and the
comforts are subtly upscale. There’s a heated swimming pool as well as a
tranquil little wellness area, and a bar for a pre-dinner apéritif or
an after-dinner nightcap. There’s also a vegetable garden where much of
the restaurant’s produce is grown — and from this location, the best of
the Loire valley, from chateaux to wineries to nature reserves, is right
at your feet.
The auberge’s restaurant,
under the direction of chef and proprietor Antoine Jeudi, is highly
regarded for its classic seasonal French fare.
This restaurant sticks to the proven path of cooking with seasonal ingredients. Chef Antoine Jeudi knows his stuff, and his tasty creations can be paired with a fine choice of wines. A pleasant mealtime, in an equally appealing setting.
Chef Julien Perrodin (Gault et Millau)
Originally from the suburbs of Tours, this craftsman's son knew from his early teens that he would be a chef. "My first experience was with Jacky Dallais, himself the son of a blacksmith my father knew. It was an obvious choice for me. I went to the hotel school, where I met my wife Barbara, before starting my apprenticeship," says Julien Perrodin.
At the end of his apprenticeship, he knocked on the door of Jean Bardet, in Tours, 19/20 at the time. "The chef greeted me, quickly went through my CV and said: "So far, you're rubbish, but are you a gourmet?" I answered in the affirmative, and started the very next day. I stayed there for almost three years."
In 2001, Julien Perrodin joined Didier Oudill at the Café de Paris in Biarritz. "He's a chef for whom I had a lot of admiration, a man of great kindness. " He then spent a few months with Pierre Gagnaire, "a gentle and honest man, but at the head of a very tough brigade at the time" . In 2002, he had the opportunity to return to the Basque country for the opening of Château de Brindos, where he was hired as second-in-command. Gault&Millau gave them a 17/20 rating in their first year.
Jean Bardet, with whom Julien Perrodin has maintained excellent relations, allowed him to join Olivier Roellinger, a chef for whom he feels an intense fascination. He spent a year with him as chef de partie. After chef experience in Paris at Jean's daughter Alice Bardet's Point Bar, then as a private chef in California, he accepted Olivier Roellinger's offer of a chef position at Le Coquillage.
Hôtel-Restaurant Le Bon Laboureur à Chenonceaux – bizarre Michelin decision
Founded back in 1786 as a coaching inn Le Bon Laboureur has long been indisputably the best hotel and restaurant in Chenonceaux, whose famous château (Chenonceau) draws visitors from all over the world. Henry James stayed there and mentioned the hotel in his A Little Tour of France published in 1884. When we are in Touraine this is our nearest fine restaurant.
Recently we have been taken to lunching there during the week when their 32€ lunch menu is available. What a bargain it is! Nominally three courses, you get fine nibbles with your apéro followed by a mise en bouche and then your first course – choice of two dishes. Next up main course – choice of fish or 72-hour cooked shoulder of lamb. A pre-dessert precedes dessert. The bargain lunch menu concludes with a choice of mignardises. My choice is invariably the cherries steeped in kirsch. With the exception of the vegetarian option, the other menus are considerably more expensive.
We have never had a bad experience at the Bon Laboureur; the food – prepared by owner-chef Antoine Jeudi – is excellent , the wine list has plenty of interesting bottles – in early this January we enjoyed a bottle of François Pinon’s 1997 Vouvray Sec – reasonably priced and delicious. Fabrice Dagaut and his team offer impeccable service in the restaurant.
Given this quality it came as a great surprise to learn that Le Bon Laboureur lost its Michelin star early this year. Certainly there was nothing from our visits – around three a year – to suggest that its étoile was threatened. From our experiences Guide Michelin’s decision to strip Le Bon Laboureur of its star appears bizarre.
Best Wine List in France of 2024 (Traditional Restaurants)
Auberge du Bon Laboureur in Chenonceau has one of the best wine lists in the country.
In 2024, Auberge du Bon Laboureur won the Best Wine List Award in the category "Traditonal Restaurants" of Terre de Vins, a leading gourmet journal in France.
Fabrice Dagaut is the GM and Sommelier of the restaurant an in charge of the wine cellar.
Terre de Vins: "Le Trophée du Tour des Cartes, organisé par Terre de vins, récompense chaque année les plus belles cartes des vins des établissements de toute la France. Parmi les 10 000 cartes de vins et spiritueux identifiées, plus de 1 000 cartes ont été étudiées par un jury d’experts et de professionnels qui ont dévoilé ce lundi 15 janvier lors d'une soirée de gala à l'Intercontinental Paris-Le Grand le palmarès des cinq lauréats récompensés et le prix spécial attribué."
« Nous participons au concours du Trophée du Tour des Cartes afin de montrer à quel point le travail de
viticulteur et de sommelier est important pour un restaurant. Nous proposons une cuisine traditionnelle
française mise au goût du jour, où la sélection de vins doit suivre cette direction. C'est pourquoi notre
carte est composée de vins et millésimes divers qui accompagnent au mieux nos plats. » Fabrice Dagaut, gérant, 53 an
Arriving
Apperitif and First Amuses Geules on the Terrace
Amuses Geules: Oysters
In the Dining Room
Impressive Wine List
Starter
First Course
Main Course
Dessert
Mignardises
Digestif
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Menu
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