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Chene Bleu

Our Story

In 1993, we began the task of restoring a medieval priory and vineyard that had been slumbering quietly for centuries in the beautiful foothills of Mont Ventoux, in the southern Rhône region of Provence. Though several parts of the house date back tothe ninth century, the estate was named La Verrière in 1427, after the glass-blowing workshop established there by Aliot de Montvin.

 

With our passionate commitment to authenticity and quality, and inspired by the natural beauty of our setting, we have dedicated ourselves to restoring the priory and restructuring the estate’s 35 hectare (87 acre) vineyard to the highest international standards. Our guiding principle is to preserve the integrity and history of the estate and its “terroir”, while enhancing its exceptional character. Having been exposed to many different cultures and approaches, and inspired by the Romans’ belief in the value of things shared, we have sought to combine grassroots wisdom with respect for nature, international know-how and avant-garde techniques.

Rhône made to organic and biodynamic principles

With exacting qualitative and biodynamic practices, the vines have flourished and now yield results worthy of the estate’s proud tradition. To do justice to the quality of the grapes, we have built a state-of-the-art, gravity-fed winery. Our vintages bear the hallmark of our efforts; they are completely natural, yet elegant, refined and complex. Our label is Chêne Bleu, after a magnificent, venerable “blue” oak tree on the estate that symbolises the beauty and uniqueness of our vineyard and its wines.

Diversity is essential to the Chêne Bleu approach: the vineyards are divided into ‘micro-terroirs’ according to the deposits of different minerals in the soils, distributed over the entire site. Harvested only by hand, with rigorous pruning throughout the year, the result is exceptional grape quality and deliberately tiny yields, on average one half to one third the production of premium cuvée Châteauneuf-du-Pape reds.

Media 

"I highly recommend a visit to Chene Bleu, an exciting project on an isolated ridge of the Dentelles. Just try to visit on a sunny afternoon, as a hair-raising, dark drive down the mountain in a howling thunderstorm is not for the faint of heart. Elevation is the draw here, allowing the wines to maintain balanced acidity across the range, which includes whites, reds and rosés. Because of the acids, the property releases the wines later than others in the region. The current releases of the flagship wines, Abelard and Heloise, are the 2011s, while the 2015s were being prepped for bottling when I visited the estate in June." Joe Czerwinski, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, November 2018

This year I have lost my heart to another Provençal rosé, albeit not from classic pink wine country but from the greater southern Rhône Valley. Chêne Bleu, Rosé Vin de Pays du Vaucluse is grown within sight of the spectacular Dentelles de Montmirail, which engrave the skyline above the village of Gigondas, on the property developed with great care by Nicole Rolet” – Jancis Robinson

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.” – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

Our Wines