2017 Cotes du Roussillon Bila Haut Occultum Lapidem
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Michel Chapoutier is known as one of the finest winemakers in the world, having started his career crafting some of the most sensational wines atop the hills of Hermitage. Obsessed with the geological complexity of his soils, he began to expand his holdings into other regions - particularly Roussillon where he established Domaine de Bila-Haut. After six years of careful observation, he selected high quality sites with the focus always remaining on producing wines that are perfect expressions of the terroir from which they are crafted. Occultum Lapidem ("hidden gem") is one of the most exquisite wines coming from the domaine and is curated to express the mineral effects of this unique geology. Chapoutier believes it is the mix of black and brown schist that gives his wines a "solar touch"; the Gneiss soils provide "minerality and freshness", while the limestone provides "strength and balance". The combination of vibrant soils and 60 year old Grenache vines, blended with slow-ripening Syrah grown at altitude, provide a mineral and tannic backbone resulting in what we think are some of the greatest wines coming out of Roussillon.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Jancis Robinson MW
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Full bottle 1,331 g. Syrah, Grenache and Carignan aged in concrete. Transparent crimson. A little reduced? But full of fine-boned fruit. Saline and fresh. Very different from the rich, top-heavy Roussillon reds that are more common. Very lively! (JR)
The 2017 Côtes Du Roussillon Villages Latour De France Occultum Lapidem is ripe and sexy, with lots of blackberry, licorice, ground herbs, and pepper aromas and flavors. It's rich and medium to full-bodied, with beautiful ripeness and character and a great finish. While falling outside the focus of this Northern Rhône report, I taste these wines every year during my visit at Chapoutier. Looking first at the 2018s, this was a cooler, wetter, and later year, and the wines show terrific purity and freshness with more medium-bodied to medium to full-bodied profiles. The 2017s come from a hot, dry year and are bigger, richer efforts.
The 2017 Côtes de Roussillon Villages Latour de France Occultum Lapidem is a step up from the Les Vignes bottling, drawn from just the one commune of Latour de France. A 60-40 blend of Grenache and Syrah, aged mostly in concrete, it offers up bright aromas of cherries and blueberries. It's medium to full-bodied, with a creamy mid-palate and supple tannins, then turns peppery on the long, silky finish.