2018 DOMAINE DE BILA-HAUT Occultum Lapidem Côtes du Roussillon M. Chapoutier

North Rhône maestro Michel Chapoutier has a long record and interest in exploring other wine regions and bringing his expert and biodynamic hand to winemaking there.

Michel spent over 5 years researching the Côtes du Roussillon and settled on land in the Latour de France area and the village of Lesquerde. Here soils are a mix of aged schist and limestone.

The wine is a blend of 60% Syrah, 30% Grenache, 5% Mourvèdre, and 5% Carignan.

North Rhône maestro Michel Chapoutier has a long record and interest in exploring other wine regions and bringing his expert and biodynamic hand to winemaking there.

Grapes were hand harvested and destemmed, then fermented separately with punching down of the cap and a long period of extraction – 4 weeks. The wine was then aged mainly in vat with a small proportion older oak casks for 4-6 months before blending. 2018 was a warm and dry year producing ripe and rich wines in general in the region.

Ready to drink now but will keep and can be enjoyed over the next 2-3 years. Would decant and aerate for an hour before pouring.

Dry and full bodied, with bold and juicy black fruits, pepper, and a touch of graphite. Tannins are resolved and ripe giving a fine structure and texture to the wine.