2013 Chêne Bleu "Heloise" VDP Vaucluse, Rhone Valley, France
ABOUT THIS WINE
One of the two twin flagships, Named after the most famous pair of lovers in the Middle Ages: Héloïse and Abelard
Abélard was the theologian and philosopher whose passionate illicit romance with his brilliant disciple Héloïse condemned both to forced separation and tragedy. Their love survived decades of monastic seclusion through passionate and erudite correspondence.
Héloïse is a blend of Syrah 65%, Grenache 31%, Roussanne 4%.
Restrained but unwavering elegance. This Syrah blend is because of its balance of concentration and restraint, and its ripe, supple texture. The Syrah blends beautifully with the highly perfumed Grenache. but also blossom with the floral notes of our high-altitude Viognier, bringing Héloïse stylistically closer to her cousins in the Northern Rhône. No synthetic treatments are used; biodynamic principles ensure the health of the vines and soil which are composed of argilo-calcaire (clay and limestone), and very stony. The wine spends 11 months in French oak.
ABOUT THIS PRODUCER
In 1993, Xavier and Nicole Rolet began the task of restoring a medieval priory and vineyard that had been slumbering quietly for centuries in the beautiful foothills of Mont Ventoux, in the southern Rhône region of Provence. Though several parts of the house date back to the ninth century, the estate was named La Verrière in 1427, after the glass-blowing workshop established there by Aliot de Montvin.
Chêne Bleu's guiding principle is to preserve the integrity and history of the estate and its “terroir” while enhancing its exceptional character. Having been exposed to many different cultures and approaches, and inspired by the Romans’ belief in the value of things shared, the Rolets have sought to combine grassroots wisdom with respect for nature, international know-how, and avant-garde techniques.
With exacting qualitative and biodynamic practices, the vines have flourished and now yield results worthy of the estate’s proud tradition. To do justice to the quality of the grapes, Chêne Bleu has a state-of-the-art, gravity-fed winery. The vintages bear the hallmark of their efforts; they are completely natural, yet elegant, refined, and complex. The label is "Chêne Bleu" after a magnificent, venerable “blue” oak tree on the estate that symbolizes the beauty and uniqueness of the vineyard and its wines.
Diversity is essential to the Chêne Bleu approach: the vineyards are divided into "micro-terroirs" according to the deposits of different minerals in the soils, distributed over the entire site. Harvested only by hand, with rigorous pruning throughout the year, the result is exceptional grape quality and deliberately tiny yields, on average one-half to one-third the production of premium cuvée Châteauneuf-du-Pape reds.
Details:
| Grape(s) | Syrah, Grenache, Roussanne |
| Farming | Biodynamic |