M. Chapoutier Bila-Haut Occultum Lapidem 2020★★★★+ (93)
This is the last Weekend Wine in our Damp January series, a time when wine lovers tend to drink a little less, but choose better bottles and enjoy them more mindfully. Here we have an excellent upper-tier Côtes-du-Roussillon Villages from Bila-Haut built primarily on Syrah, supported by Grenache and a touch of Carignan, sourced from the eastern side of the Rhône Valley. It’s an intensely flavoured, dark, and delicious step up from the standard Côtes-du-Roussillon bottlings. Full-bodied yet balanced, the wine shows a mix of fruit and savoury notes: plum, dried strawberry, and black currant mingled with black pepper and classic garrigue herbs like rosemary and sage. This is a red made for the table, shining alongside hearty stews, tomato-based braises, and red meats, with grilled lamb chops being a particularly natural match.
$23.95 (Vintages)
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