One of our dearest French friends told us that we absolutely must visit this site. I refer to it as a site, because it is way, way beyond “just” a winery. It is simply a stunning venue, high up in the hills even above the picturesque village of Crestet. You will note the blue-ish tree on the left side of the photo, which has been painted with copper sulfate, accounting for the color.
The vineyards are stunning, with 30 hectare (75 acre) planted predominantly with mature (25yr+) Grenache and (40yr+) Syrah. Over the last decade they have added smaller quantities of other traditional Rhône varietals such as Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier, Clairette (whites) and are planting Mourvèdre (red) to complement our classic Rhône base. As to terroir, they are blessed with a confluence of natural factors. Being so far south, on the same latitude as Gigondas, they have more than 300 sunny days in the year. The fruit ripens deliciously and almost never suffers from rot. The vines enjoy regular exposure to the Mistral and other winds that assist in flavor concentration, but their hilly topography spares them from the full force. The altitude (550m/1600ft) gives the variation in temperature between day and night that is essential for fruit quality. Essentially, their grapes ripen more slowly with better flavor development, but the later harvest (up to 3 weeks after their neighbors in the lower elevations). This can make them prey to the weather, but it can often work to their advantage.
Before the winery was built, they spent several years with renowned advisers visiting some of the most impressive wineries in the world and studying their equipment and layout. They then designed and equipped the winery specifically for small batches, hand-crafted high quality winemaking. Their determination is to ensure meticulous nurturing of the grapes at every stage. They designed a building that moved the grapes and the wine through the gentle flow of gravity, without pumping, being insistent on not disrupting the landscape. 2006 was their first vintage.
The wines themselves were pricey, but spectacular. Chêne Bleu focuses on handmade wines of the utmost natural purity. They refer to them as “couture” wines to reflect their philosophy of dedication, atypical mineral soils, biodynamic practices, low yields and handpicking, through to double sorting in the winery and non-intrusive forward-thinking winemaking. Their belief is that this painstaking approach to winemaking combines the best elements of tradition, respect for nature, and qualitative practices. These costly processes are exacting and time-consuming, but they consider them essential to ensuring a wine of the highest quality.The Grenache/Syrah base of their Reds and Rosé is characteristic of the region. The mature vines yield rich, delicious fruit, but they have also planted small quantities of other local varietals to “season” the blends with their own touch. Their whites are unusually crisp for the region because of the altitude (500m-1600ft), which allows for slow maturation and heat control.
Thematically running through all of their wines are concentrated fruit aromas and rich meaty texture from the southern sun, freshness and acidity from the higher altitude, and a complex basalt-based mineral structure from their unique geology. This combination helps them achieve balance and finesse, as well as a persistent finish.
If you visit the southern Rhône, you absolutely must visit this place.