Chapoutier Bila-Haut Rouge, Cotes du Roussillon Villages 2019

Domaine de Bila-Haut is a part of M. Chapuotier's impressive stable of estates. This one is in the Roussillon village of Latour-de-France in Catalan France just north of the Spanish border.

Michel Chapoutier's continual pursuit of great terroir took him south from the Rhône to the Roussillon in 2000, where he bought land in the village of Latour de France, known for its stony soil terraces and rich geological background. Here, incredibly old vines with low yields deliver minerality and complexity for Carignan, Grenache and Syrah vines.

The white from the Domaine is the product of north-facing slopes, granite and calcareous soils, and a blend of Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris and Macabeo grapes. The red wine comes from vines high above the Agly Valley where soils are composed of gneiss and schist from the Devonian period. Hand-harvested Carignan, Grenache and Syrah grapes reveal a well-structured, warm wine very much in the spirit of the Roussillon.