92
NA
2020 - 2030
Starting with the 2011 IGP Vaucluse Heloise, the Viognier component has been replaced by Roussanne, so the 2011 is 61% Syrah, 35% Grenache and 4% Roussanne. It offers hints of smoked black olives on the nose, followed by a wine that's full-bodied and sturdy on the palate, with some rustic, meaty notes that linger on the finish. Give it a couple of years in the cellar, then drink it over the next decade.
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.