Xavier and Nicole Rolet are the owners of Chêne Bleu, an idyllic winery located in the foothills of Mt Ventoux in Southern Rhône. They kindly invited us into their stunning London home for a spoiling evening showcasing their beautifully polished wines paired with dinner created by a rising star on the London culinary scene - Marcelo de Campos. Marcelo created a menu combining the aromas and flavours of Provence with hints of his native Brazil. A ‘touch of football fever' menu matched with award-winning French wines may sound like a strange concept but the first bite of the canapé indicated to me that it was going to be an interesting evening. The thoughtfulness and complexity in the flavour of the food matched terrifically well with the wines.
Before dinner, whilst enjoying her 2013 Rosé, Nicole explained the story of the winery, and their decade of dedication which successfully changed an abandoned vineyard and ruined chateau into the heralded place that it is today. The 1700 feet altitude of the vineyards is certainly tasted on the palate with minerally flavours, especially in the light pink rosé. This is a serious food wine which does not leave one feeling anything but refreshed and happy.
At dinner we enjoyed an array of delights, my top pairing being the Aliot 2010 with celeriac lasagne and truffle confetti. The oily, richly textured Aliot burst with complex flavours and worked alongside the creaminess of the lasagne and savoury notes of the celeriac and truffle. Another great moment was trying Chêne Bleu's new wine - Astralabe 2009 with ‘steak frite Brazillian style’ (wonderfully cooked meat with cassava chips). This wine is the baby of Abelard. More fruity and less concentrated; Nicole says it is your perfect Thursday night wine (it is so delicious I will be enjoying it every night of the week). As ever the Héloise and Abelard shone, the Héloise's femininity highlighted against the more masculine and spicy Abelard. Both were stunning with the lamb although I found the velvety Héloise really stood out with the crusted lamb cutlet and ratatouille.
It was an extraordinary night of which we all will remember, thank you again to Chêne Bleu for their hospitality and incredible selection of fine wines.
