Chêne Bleu, Ventoux 'Astralabe' 2020

Chêne Bleu sits on a dramatic limestone plateau in the northern Ventoux, high enough to feel more Rhône than Provence, and the Astralabe is their calling card for Southern French red. A Syrah-led blend with Grenache and Mourvèdre, it has all the sun-drenched generosity you'd expect at this latitude, but the altitude keeps things honest: there's freshness here that cheaper Ventoux rarely manages, and a stony mineral thread that runs through the whole wine like a spine. The 2020 vintage was warm and precocious across the south, and you can feel it in the weight and ripeness of the fruit, but Astralabe wears it well. Dark plum, dried herbs, smoked meat, and a finish that lingers longer than the price suggests it should.