The Chêne Bleu (“Blue Tree”) estate, near Mont Ventoux in Provence, is overseen by my good friend Nicole Rolet.

The splendid wine portfolio includes the two reds Abélard (mainly Grenache) and Héloïse (mainly Syrah), named after the Medieval power couple whose illicit romance ultimately condemned them to forced separation and tragedy.

Astralabeis the “teenager” (or illegitimate offspring 🤔?) of Chêne Bleu’s family of reds. It’s a Grenache-Syrah blend, named after the son of Héloïse and Abélard. The 2018 is the current vintage.

(I had a bottle of the 2016 recently and it was excellent. Even though it’s ostensibly a relatively modest Ventoux red wine, Astralabe is a wine that benefits from a few years’ ageing.)

We also have available some 1.5-litre magnums of Abélard 2010 and 2011 and 3-litre jeroboams of Héloïse 2011.

Perfect for sharing with a couple of like-minded friends (as I did)…