2013 Cotes du Roussillon Bila Haut V.I.T

Moving to the two top releases, the 2013 Cotes du Roussillon Villages V I T (Latour de France Visitare Interiore Terrae) is 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah that’s scheduled to be bottled in the spring of 2015. Aged half in concrete tank and half in demi-muids, it offers beautiful crème de cassis, black raspberry, savory herbs, beef blood and dried earth-like aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied, elegant and seamless, with the purity and freshness of the vintage, yet with no lack of texture or richness, it blossoms in the glass, has terrific length, and will have 10-15 years of overall longevity.

65% Grenache, 35% Syrah on schist. 'I don’t like Carignan – interesting only as a condiment.' It took Michel six years of standing back, observing and analysing to gain an understanding of this very complex terroir. Gradually a logic for selection was put into place. A blend composed of Grenache grapes (70-year-old vines), grown on a plot in the heart of the garrigue scrubland, Syrah grapes on clayey limestone soil and Syrah grown on the domain’s most beautiful schist soil. The extraction of tannins occurs only by pigeage during a long maceration period of minimum four weeks. The wine is aged for 18 months: 50% in tank and 50% in barrels. Very energetic nose. Smooth and lively. Very much more savoury than any southern Rhône wine. Firm structure. More sophisticated than most Roussillon reds. (JR)