It will compete with wines two to three times its price,’ says Jeb Dunnuck of Chapoutier’s Bila-Haut Rouge 2022. This is a Syrah, Grenache, Carignan blend you don’t want to live without. Moreish, with dark red berries and peppery notes, it’s a classic Roussillon red that’s layered and elegant, while also offering immediate drinkability.
Take note of its white-blend counterpart, Bila-Haut Blanc 2022, which is an intense, pure-fruited beauty with minerality and pithiness in spades. It’s a blend of Grenache Blanc and Gris, Roussanne and Macabeu. The wine is ‘medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, has integrated acidity, and a great finish’, writes Dunnuck, scoring it 93 points. 2022 is considered one of the region’s toughest and yet finest vintage of the decade, and both the Rouge and Blanc are flat-out delicious.
The Côtes du Roussillon – known for its stony terraces, limestone and schist soils, and low-yielding old vines – produces hugely characterful wines. The Bila-Haut vineyards are organic and biodynamically farmed and their unique terroir imparts a herbaceous, spicy and mineral character to the wines. Watch this video for a taste of the rugged terrain.
Bila-Haut’s quality to value ratio is hard to rival and, as Wine Cellar staff favourites, these are sure to fly. Grab your cases now.
If you’re interested in Chapoutier’s rare Seléctions Parcellaires – single-vineyard bottlings from the Northern Rhône and some of the region’s best – please email jack@winecellar.co.za.
Tasting Notes:
Chapoutier Bila-Haut Rouge 2022
‘The 2022 Côtes du Roussillon Villages Bila Haut has some classic Roussillon notes of darker berries, peppery herbs, spice, and loamy earth. With medium-bodied richness and a supple, elegant, layered mouthfeel, it will compete with wines two to three times its price.’ – Jeb Dunnuck, 91/100
Chapoutier Bila-Haut Blanc 2022
‘The 2022 Côtes du Roussillon Bila Haut Blanc is based on 60% grenache Blanc, 20% Roussanne, 10% Grenache Gris, and the rest Macabeu. It has a brilliant nose of crushed citrus and pineapple as well as an almost Riesling-like sense of minerality, petrol, and flowers. It’s medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, has integrated acidity, and a great finish.’ – Jeb Dunnuck, 93/100
