Chene Bleu Heloise 2007
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Robert
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Moving to the reds and a perfumed, lightly textured and elegant effort, the 2007 Heloise is 60% Syrah, 37% Grenache and the balance Viognier, that’s vinified separately before blending prior to bottling. Fresh and complex, with vibrant black and blue fruits, violets and spice, this medium to full-bodied 2007 builds in the glass and is seamlessly textured and never puts a foot wrong. "Another up-and-coming estate (first vintage was 2006), Chene Bleu is located high up in the Dentelles de Montmirail, northeast of Gigondas, and covers roughly 70 acres of high altitude vineyards that are planted mostly to Syrah and Grenache, with the average age of the vines over 50 years in age. Restored by the Rolet family, with Nicole Rolet making the wines, this domaine has produced some incredible 2007s (as well as a smoking good 2010 white) that will compete with the finest efforts coming out of the Rhone Valley today. These certainly deliver on the quality front and show what’s possible from these higher elevation sites! They’re well worth checking out
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Wine Spectator
Fleshy and alluring, with delicious layers of crushed plum, anise, blackberry and black tea character, laced with graphite and espresso. Nicely integrated and very fresh despite the dark fruit profile. The long finish picks up a twinge of mesquite.
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Wine & Spirits
The vineyard at Chêne Bleu sits at some 1,770 feet in Les Dentelles de Montmirail, the jagged peaks that rise up behind Gigondas. When Xavier Rolet took over the estate, it had been largely abandoned for 40 years; he’s since reestablished the vineyards, and is working them under biodynamic principles. This red blends 60 percent syrah with grenache (37 percent) and viognier, aged in oak 11 months. It has matured into a spicy, earthy wine, with scents of cedar and mushrooms on the tangy red fruit. The flavors last, fully mature yet still vibrant. Pour it with a leg of lamb and save some for the cheese course.Wilson Daniels, St. Helena, CA
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Blessed with a confluence of natural factors, Chêne Bleu has the benefit of an exceptional location, multifaceted geology, and a southern Rhone climate with soils more typical of the northern Rhone. The remarkable 340-acre estate had functioned as a working vineyard since the Middle Ages but was left untended for the majority of the 20th century, leaving the buildings in ruins. Xavier and Nicole Rolet purchased the property in 1993, enchanted by the secluded location of the vineyard and the history of the ancient monastery on site that had been built nearly 1,000 years ago. A decade of meticulous work was required to restore the priory and nurture the neglected vineyards back to biodynamic health. With time, each small improvement in the vineyard was seen to be rewarded ten-fold with qualitative results. The high-altitude vineyards benefit from warm daytime sun and cool nights allowing a longer, gradual ripening season. Grapes are picked up to five weeks later than the surrounding valley floor. The resulting wines embody the aromas and flavor of southern Rhone, together with the finesse and elegance of northern Rhone and the aging potential of the region’s finest AOCs.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
A long and narrow valley producing flavorful red, white, and rosé wines, the Rhône is bisected by the river of the same name and split into two distinct sub-regions—north and south. While a handful of grape varieties span the entire length of the Rhône valley, there are significant differences between the two zones in climate and geography as well as the style and quantity of Rhône wines produced. The Northern Rhône, with its continental climate and steep hillside vineyards, is responsible for a mere 5% or less of the greater region’s total output. The Southern Rhône has a much more Mediterranean climate, the aggressive, chilly Mistral wind and plentiful fragrant wild herbs known collectively as ‘garrigue.’
In the Northern Rhône, the only permitted red variety is Syrah, which in the appellations of St.-Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage, Cornas and Côte-Rôtie, it produces velvety black-fruit driven, savory, peppery red wines often with telltale notes of olive, game and smoke. Full-bodied, perfumed whites are made from Viognier in Condrieu and Château-Grillet, while elsewhere only Marsanne and Roussanne are used, with the former providing body and texture and the latter lending nervy acidity. The wines of the Southern Rhône are typically blends, with the reds often based on Grenache and balanced by Syrah, Mourvèdre, and an assortment of other varieties. All three northern white varieties are used here, as well as Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourbelenc and more. The best known sub-regions of the Southern Rhône are the reliable, wallet-friendly Côtes du Rhône and the esteemed Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Others include Gigondas, Vacqueyras and the rosé-only appellation Tavel.