Chene Bleu
2010 Chêne Bleu with Pollo Asado and Mexican Pasta Salad
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Background on the Winery
Truly a remarkable wine on so many levels–from the land, the label, the history and the wine. Firstly, the area is in the Rhone Valley and sits on top of a hillside in Provence, near Gigondas. Here is a picture from their website.
Photo from their website
Secondly, the label is as mysterious and elusive as the wine. The label shows their respect of the land and history. The label also shows dozens of references as to what makes their wine and project so unique.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Embedded in the label are five “bunny rabbits”. They used to advertise find them and submit to “Where’s Fluffy?” for a prize from the winery! Still fun to try to locate them!
Now add the name and its meaning for the third facet of this wine. Abélard is one of two of their leading wines, Héloïse the other. In the Middle Ages, Abélard was a theologian and philosopher who had an illicit romance with his disciple Héloïse. Unfortunately, they were forced into separation but their love lasted decades of monastic seclusion and correspondence. Abélard, the Grenache blend, is strong, bold and structured. Whereas Héloïse, the Syrah blend, shows a more elegant and softer side with restraint. The winery produced both wines to showcase their uncompromising commitment to their love, passion and thinking of their vineyard.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled Poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
While all of this and I haven’t even begun talking about the wine! If these auxiliary points were not enough to entice you to explore this wine, hopefully the description will. Initially when pulling this out of the cellar with a listing of Grenache/Syrah, I was expecting a mild and light French Grenache. This was so far from reality. This is perhaps one of the largest and extremely robust French wines I have had the opportunity to drink. This is a blend of 85% Grenache and 15% Syrah that spent 18 months in French oak barrels. The wine is 14.5% alcohol and various better wine shops sell it for approximately $100/bottle. Wine ratings vary but are generally in range of 90 to 94 points.
On the eyes, it is a deep ruby red and medium weight. On the nose, aromas of blueberries, licorice and black berries almost overwhelm the senses. The spices of various herbs (pepper & sage) linger in the background. On the palate, one is astonished with the liveliness of raspberries, cherry and mocha which make this wine plush and layered. The finish offers up supple tannins with just enough oak to provide “a passing hint of old world” winemaking. This is truly a rich and concentrated offering.
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Opened this bottle of wine to go with tonight’s meal for two reasons. The first is that it came up in “my drink now list for 2025”. Secondly, while three suggestions for the meal included Sauvignon Blanc, Vermentino and a Grenache/Syrah blend, the last one was selected due to the heat of the dish. The meal was Pollo Asado with a few twists. The chicken breasts were marinated for 5 hours. The marinade ingredients included cilantro, chopped purple onion, fresh squeezed orange juice, fresh squeezed lime juice, minced garlic, paprika, Mexican oregano, kosher salt, black pepper, olive oil and one sliced jalapeño with seeds. This was all put into a blender to form the sauce. Some additional sauce was set aside to drizzle on the chicken breast when plated. The chicken was cooked on the cast iron skillet. Accompanied by Mexican Pasta Salad made with corkscrew pasta, black beans, cherry tomatoes, diced jalapeños, fresh cilantro, yellow corn and cut green onions. The dressing consisted of extra-virgin olive oil, fresh squeezed lime juice, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, sea salt and black pepper. Both recipes were new and tasted exceptionally well and topped off with fresh cilantro. These two recipes are now locked in for the winter!
Choosing the red wine with chicken felt a bit strange but was one hundred percent the correct wine. If we had gone with a Suavignon Blanc or Vermentino, it would have overwhelmed the wine.
The wine is always stocked in the cellar. Next up is the 2014 vintage and is to be sought after for a memorable experience.
Slainte,Michael
https://californiawinesandwineries.com
https://www.chenebleu.com