Les Vignes de Bila-Haut Cotes du Roussillon Villages

A fantastic wine for under $15 from M. Chapoutier, the Les Vignes de Bila-Haut Cotes du Roussillon Villages Rouge.

50% Grenache, 40% Syrah and 10% Carignan from the slopes of the Agly Valley in Languedoc-Roussillon, France. The wine was aged in concrete tanks and stainless steel (no oak). It has residual sugar of 8 g/L.

Sample submitted for review. The Les Vignes de Bila-Haut Cotes du Roussillon Villages has an SRP of $15 but can be found closer to $10. Ready to buy? Check your local retailers. Imported by Sera Wine Imports.

From the bottle:

The complexity of Bila-Haut reflects the diverse terroirs and wind of the Midi. By meticulously hand-harvesting the best grapes from the best vineyards of the Roussillon, a well-known Rhone producer has transformed his magic to the Languedoc and created a wine with finesse. This wine is fleshy, well-structured with aromas of black cherry and the warm and savage soils of the Roussillon area.

14.5% Alcohol

Today’s wine is one we’ve reviewed many times over the years and it delivers once again! Although we should note that if you are drinking it anytime soon the 2017 does need a good amount of time to open up so you might want to give it a good decant before enjoying.

The 2017 Les Vignes de Bila-Haut Cotes du Roussillon Villages Rouge from M. Chapoutier begins with pleasing aromas of blackberry, black cherry, black raspberry, lots of licorice and a little garrigue. The smooth, medium-bodied wine needs some time to develop in the glass. When it does you’ll find similar flavors to the nose with substantial earthy and mineral streaks plus some plum and black pepper. The long, dry finish features licorice soaked dark fruit, more earthiness and some touches of mocha which all linger nicely. This is quite a complex wine with lots of layers, all driven by the fruit itself as this does not see any oak.

Ready to buy? Check your local retailers.