Chene Bleu Abelard 2007
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
More dense and structured, yet still vibrant and very pure, the 2007 Abelard is 90% Grenache and 10% Syrah. Loaded with deep blackberry and black cherry fruit, licorice, crushed stone and hints of roasted herbs, it is full-bodied, rich and concentrated, with knockout precision and focus. It is serious stuff and still a baby.
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.
-
Wine Spectator
This has dark, brooding aromas of crushed plum and black tea, followed by rich yet racy graphite, espresso, singed iron and mulled blackberry fruit. The long, sleek finish lets the iron note hang on. Dense, but pure at the core, with solid grip. Should stretch out a bit more.
Other Vintages
2015-
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
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.