Savory, meaty and downright delicious, the Domaine de Bila-Haut L’Esquerda Cotes-du-Roussillon Villages from Michel Chapoutier.
60% Syrah and 40% Grenache from the L’Esquerda commune in the Agly Valley, Perpignan, Languedoc-Roussillon, France. The wine is aged 100% in concrete tanks.
Sample submitted for review. The Domaine de Bila-Haut L’Esquerda Cotes-du-Roussillon Villages from Michel Chapoutier has an SRP of $28 but is available for as low as $19.99. Imported by Sera Wine Imports.
Roussillon, a land of legend and history. A place of contrasts, too, much as Domaine de Bila-Haut. Grape varieties with a strong identity, for a perfect match of food and wine.
14.5% Alcohol
Today’s wine comes from tiny L’Esquerda commune in the southeastern corner of France near both the Mediterranean Sea and Spain. It is known as canyon country – “L’Esquerda” means “escarpment” in the local Catalan dialect. It may not be the most well-known area as far as wine goes but as you can see by our review, perhaps it should get a lot more love.
The 2016 Domaine de Bila-Haut L’Esquerda from M. Chapoutier begins with a bit of barnyard funk when first opened but that dissipates pretty quickly. From there you’ll find dark and ripe berry fruit, spice, black pepper, cocoa and even a little mint with time in the glass. Tasting reveals big meaty notes from the Syrah along with touches of garrigue, lots of licorice, streaks of minerality and plenty more. This is really delicious especially as it has some air and it’s still plenty young so it should age nicely. Chewy tannins lead into the dry, very long, mouth-puckering finish. Super!
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