Exploring the Roussillon (3) Bila-Haut
Website: https://www.chapoutier.com/fr/boutique/nos-domaines-et-maison/domaine-de-bila-haut-38
Bila-Haut is Chapoutier’s Roussillon project, based in Latour De France. Back in 1998 Michel Chapoutier bought 50 hectares here, convinced by the quality of the terroir. It has since grown to 100 hectares, all farmed biodynamically.
I visited with Martin Champagne (Chapoutier’s export director for Europe) and Aurélien Capel (who runs Bila Haut).
Altitude is 200-250 m and the sea is 40 km away, and climate is Mediterranean with virtually no growing season rainfall. But the key feature here is three different soil elements. First we have schist. Then some veins of gneiss. And also some clay limestone.
As well as 80 hectares in Latour de France, they have 17 hectares in Lesquerde (mainly granitic soils) and 4 hectares in Coillure.
It’s a very diverse terroir, and they interpret it through Grenache, Syrah and some Carignan for the reds, and Grenache Blanc and Grenache Gris for the whites: these can be quite saline.
The main challenge here is drought, and the last few years have seen less than 300 mm rainfall. This impacts the life of the soil.
The Bila-Haut range is mostly negociant wine; these are the wines with the white label. Everything else is biodynamic from their own vineyards.
THE WINES
Bila-Haut Blanc 2024 Côtes du Roussillon
Mainly Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris and some Maccabeu. Stainless steel. This is bright, juicy, fresh and mineral with nice purity to the white peach and pear fruit, with a touch of crystalline citrus. Lovely presence here, finishing fresh and finely spiced, with a touch of salinity. Impressive. 92/100
Bila-Haut Occultum Lapidem Blanc 2020 Côtes du Roussillon
50% Grenache Blanc, 45% Grenache Gris, 5% Vermentino. Two vinifications. One in demi-muids (600 litre), and then one in stainless steel. This has some depth to it with honeyed pear and peach fruit as well as some nice salty, mineral character. Broad and textural, but with some freshness. Nice flow across the palate, with a hint of toastiness, getting a little savoury (is there some TDN here?) and then some saline, mandarin and lemon notes. There’s a powdery minerality here, too. 93/100
Bila-Haut Chrysopée 2022 Collioure
90% old Grenache Gris. Seleccion Parcellaire, from dark schists. Demi-Muids. Such an interesting wine, with crystalline detail, grapefruit, lime and a hint of white pepper. There’s no heaviness here, but there is concentration. Mineral, detailed and fine with a saline twist to the crystalline citrus fruit. The finish is long and mineral with amazing precision. A lovely wine. 95/100
Bila-Haut Rouge 2023 Côtes du Roussillon Villages
Grenache and Syrah. Sweetly aromatic with floral cherries and berries as well as some dried herbs and a touch of pepper. The palate has a core of sweet fruit, with cherry and strawberry, a touch of cured meats, and some nice tannins. Notes of iron and blood in the mix too. Rich but feels quite fresh. 93/100
Bila-Haut Occultum Lapidem Rouge 2020 Côtes du Rhône Villages Latour de France
Fermented and aged in concrete. 55% Syrah, 40% Grenache, 5% Carignan. This is fresh, stony, mineral and quite complex. There’s some ripeness here, with sweet cherries and plums, and also some softness with age, showing a bit of stewed strawberry. Then there are savoury notes of stone and iron, as well as some pepper. Some dried herbs, too. This is developing in interesting ways, and is good to go now: I wouldn’t hold it much longer. 93/100
Bila Haut L’Esquerda 2021 Côtes du Rhône Villages Lesquerde
High altitude (400 m), granite soils. 70% Syrah, 30% Grenache. 100% concrete. This is stony, savoury and mineral with some iodine and pepper notes, as well as good acidity and structure. There’s a bit of development here, but also some grip and freshness. Lots of personality here, with some iodine and medicinal hints. Brooding with fine-grained tannins. Angular. 93/100
Bila-Haut Chrysopée 2022 Collioure
100% Grenache from dark slate aged for a year in concrete. Fresh, fine, pure and energetic with lovely red cherries and plums as well as a hint of iodine and blood. Such nice stony, mineral character here with good acidity, showing real precision, finishing taut and fine. There’s a beautiful focus to this wine with amazing mineral character. 95/100
Bila-Haut V.I.T. 2018 Côtes du Rhône Villages Latour de France
Mostly Grenache. Fermented in concrete and aged in Clayver (600 litres). Wonderful aromatics: floral, with amazing wild herbs, iodine, dried meat, spice and herbs. The palate is rich and spice-laden, with some alcoholic warmth and nicely complex meat, iron and iodine characters, finishing warm and spicy and long. Very interesting development here. 95/100
Bila-Haut V.I.T. 2022 Côtes du Rhône Villages Latour de France
Mostly Grenache. Fermented in concrete and aged in Clayver (600 litres). Beautiful floral expressive nose with sweet cherries and plums, with richer blackcurrant notes. Concentrated and powerful with a slight salinity, and a lushness to the fruit, that then resolves into spicy detail. This finishes mineral and stony. Brooding, complex, layered and quite serious, with some savoury notes interleaved with the sweet fruit. 96/100
Bila-Haut R.I. 2018 Côtes du Rhône Villages Lesquerde
Majority of Syrah, sur echalas. Fermented in concrete, aged in foudre. Tight, focused, complex with a lovely savoury, mineral undercurrent to the sweet cherries and plums. This has a beautiful intensity to it and a core of complexity that is beyond the fruit. The fruit has actually begun to recede a bit, and the character of the granite soils is starting to make itself felt. Long, warm, spice-laden finish. Concentrated and fine. 96/100
Bila-Haut R.I. 2022 Côtes du Rhône Villages Lesquerde
Majority of Syrah, sur echalas. Fermented in concrete, aged in foudre. Wonderfully aromatic with a chalky, mineral edge to the sweet cherry and berry fruit nose. The palate is fresh, supple, chalky and fine with a white pepper and stony mineral undercurrent to the sweet cherry and raspberry fruit, showing good structure and acidity, and then a long, finely spiced finish with real precision. This is superb, and offers plenty of ageing potential. So brilliant. 97/100
Bila-Haut Banyuls Rimage 2021
16% alcohol. Grenache Noir. 80 g/l rs. The alcohol is added in the solid phase, so it extracts from the skins. Concentrated, rich and sweet with pure berry fruits, some black cherry, then some mint and wild herb notes as well as firm tannins. Amazing depth and concentration. Quite delicious with some nice sweetness, and even a hint of raisin. Finishes grippy. Lovely fruit here. 93/100
Bila-Haut Banyuls 1999
17% alcohol. This is an orange/brown colour and has a lovely savoury, spicy quality with notes of raisin, with nice spicy detail to the fruit. Some woody hints with warmth and complexity, showing nice depth and a long spicy finish. So well done. 94/100
THE ROUSSILLON
- Introduction
- Cave Dom Brial
- Domaine Bila-Haut (Chapoutier)
- Domaine la Pertuisane
- Domaine Torredemer Mangin
- Château Lauriga
- Château Nadal Hainaut
- Domaine Lafage
- Jeff Carrel
