Chêne Bleu Le Rosé at Arden Fine Wines in Mayfair, London.

Recently we welcomed two of our favourite people to our Mayfair office.

Chantal Coady OBE is “The Chocolate Detective” and was founder of Rococo Chocolates.

Nicole Rolet is Principal and “Senior Plate-Spinner” at Chêne Bleu, the Ventoux wine estate that released its first vintage in 2006.

Chantal described the lunch thus:

“… grilled fish & tabouleh with the fabulous Nicole Rolet drinking her @chenebleuwine, my absolute favourite rosé… Ashes Test in the background… strawberries & freshly picked nespole/nefres/loquats from the trees below. Finished with a tasting of chocolates selected by me…”

We had Chêne Bleu’s Le Rosé to go with the mackerel.

Le Rosé is a blend of grapes grown at 1,600-feet altitude near Mont Ventoux, the daunting mountain that’s been visited 18 times by the Tour de France since 1951 – most recently in 2021, when the riders ascended the mountain twice.

The 2021 vintage of Le Rosé was made using a short maceration – soaking the red grapes with their skins still on – rather than the saignée method of “bleeding” liquid from a tank of red wine juice. This – with some of the wine aged in oak barrels – gives the wine its nice texture and flavour (rather than just a mouthful of acid and sugar, as too many rosés are guilty of).

Le Rosé is best enjoyed with seafood, shellfish, charcuterie, salad stuff, and good company (including vegans) – as proven by this lunchtime gathering.