Winemaker Notes
Very deep ruby. Abélard’s rich brooding character lifts from the glass, displaying ripe blackberry, clove, licorice and black pepper. Rich and concentrated; blackberry and morello cherries; spicy and silky. Enjoy with roast beef, venison, duck and roasted vegetables. Decant for several hours and serve at room temperature.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Lastly, the 2011 Ventoux Abelard is, as always, more Provençal in style and always reminds me of a top Gigondas. Based largely on Grenache, it boasts rocking notes of blackberries, black cherries, licorice, and black olives. This full-bodied 2011 has a ripe, sexy style, no hard edges, and perfect balance.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Full-bodied, backward and tannic, the 2011 IGP Vaucluse Abelard deserves a couple of years in the cellar. It offers hints of asphalt and cola on the nose, followed by flavors of black cherries and plums, marked by a roasted, caramelized sense of sucrosity. This Grenache-dominated blend is full-bodied and amply concentrated, with a long finish.
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Wine Spectator
This late release shows maturity, featuring enticing truffle and cedar aromas that lead the way for mulled currant and plum fruit flavors. Tobacco, savory and lavender notes curl through the finish, where sweet fruit still lingers. Fully mature, with sneaky depth, this is still providing pleasure.
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.