M. Chapoutier was appointed “Most Admired French Wine Brand in the World” by Drinks International for the second year in a row. The prestigious British magazine made this choice based on mixed criteria, including:

• Constant improvement of the quality of the wine

• The wine reflects its region of origin

• The wine is very attractive to a widely-spread demographic group

This high distinction came as no surprise to our ABC Fine Wine & Spirits wine team, who just got back from visiting Chapoutier Vineyards in the Roussillon and the Rhône Valley. We were most impressed with the large new state-of-the-art Chapoutier Winery in Tain l’Hermitage, as well as the tremendous work done at Domain Bila-Haut in the Roussillon, where Michel Chapoutier makes rare, terroir wines. The vineyards at Bila-Haut, like all Chapoutier properties, are farmed biodynamically, without the use of pesticides, herbicides, chemical agents of any kind or synthetic fertilizers.

The principles of biodynamic agriculture were founded in the 19^th century by Rudolph Steiner, the Austrian philosopher who did a lot of research on alchemy and sciences from the Middle Ages. Michel Chapoutier, who studied Steiner thoroughly, picked one of the most famous alchemical mottos: "V.I.T.R.I.O.L.” which stands for “Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem" 

It literally translates to “visit the interior parts of the earth; by rectification thou shalt find the hidden stone." For Michel, this greatly defines the interaction between the earth (the “land” component of terroir) and life (vineyard). He split it into three parts to name the top Roussillon wines at domain Bila-Haut: “V.I.T.”, “R.I.” and “Occultum Lapidem.”

The big stone which lays on the top of the main vineyard for “Occultum Lapidem” has long been given esoteric powers by the locals; one of them being to capture the power from the earth and spread it onto the land. Michel Chapoutier related this to the “hidden stone” motto and named the vineyard “Occultum Lapidem.”

The 2010 Occultum Lapidem, Côtes du Roussillon Villages Latour de France, a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Carignan, received an incredible 95-97 points rating by Robert Parker Jr. and is currently available at ABC Fine & Spirits for $24.99.

A personal favorite is the 2009 L’Esquerda, Côtes du Roussillon Villages Lesquerde, mostly Syrah from a higher elevation cooler climate vineyard, priced at $18.99.

The other three wines from Bila-Haut currently available at ABC are:

• 2010 La Croix de Bila-Haut, Côtes Catalanes, red, a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Carignan, is priced at $11.79

• 2011 Les Vignes de Bila-Haut, Côtes du Roussillon, red, a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Carignan, is priced at $12.99

• 2011 Les  Vignes de Bila-Haut white, a blend of Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris and Macabeu is priced at $12.99

 

Atanas Nechkov, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits Wine Supervisor

Follow him on Twitter @abcwineatanas