Les Vignes de Bila-Haut Côtes du Roussillon Blanc 2018 (Midi) - Wine Review

Tonight's white wine review is a lovely Côtes du Roussillon Blanc by M. Chapoutier that returned to the LCBO as part of the recent January 23rd LCBO VINTAGES Release.

The origins of this historic and highly-acclaimed winemaking company date back to the year 1808, with the Chapoutier name entering the picture in 1897 and Marius Chapoutier becoming the sole owner of the company in 1922. In 1929, Marius created the new winery at the foot of the Hermitage hill. Upon the passing of Marius, his son, Marc, took over the family business and changed the name to what we see today - M. Chapoutier.

In 1990, current owner and legendary Michel Chapoutier became the head of the company and began to apply the principles of biodynamic cultivation. In 2000, Chapoutier purchased its first estate in Roussillon. This particular wine is from Domaine de Bila-Haut, a domain that Chapoutier founded in Latour-de-France, Roussillon. At first, there were a couple of wines created to express this terroir, then followed by six years of reflection, observation, and analysis. Over time, more wines were added to the portfolio, as well as adding other sites in Roussillon.

Today, Mathilde and Maxime, the children of Michel, form the next generation of the Chapoutier family to join business. Together, they perpetuate the family tradition and vision to craft wines based on the concept of terroir.

I enjoyed the 2015 Les Vignes de Bila-Haut Côtes du Roussillon Blanc back in December 2017 and am delighted to open the 2018 vintage tonight. This bottling is a blend of Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Marsanne, and Macabeu varietals that were grown on sites belonging to Domaine de Bila-Haut. Some of the grapes come from limestone, clay soils, and gneiss in the Agly Valley, while the rest were from granite soils located on higher altitude (500 metres elevation), later ripening sites. The grapes were manually-harvested and hand-sorted to protect the aromas, while vinification occurred in stainless steel tanks, and ageing lasted only a few months to enhance freshness and minerality. Let's see how this white wine from Roussillon is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

LES VIGNES DE BILA-HAUT CÔTES DU ROUSSILLON BLANC 2018 - AP, Midi, France (#485656) (XD) - $15.95
This blend of Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Marsanne, and Macabeu has lovely floral, lemon citrus, grapefruit, and ripe apple aromas of medium+ intensity with touches of smoky mineral. The dry, medium+ bodied palate is slightly fleshy with fresh, crisp and lively acidity to support the ripe lemon citrus, grapefruit and white floral flavours, with fine mineral notes arriving on the long, crisp finish. Recommended buy. Score: 89 pts

Other lovely wines from M. Chapoutier can be found at the LCBO, as well as through their Agent - Dandurand.