Sitting tonight in Panama City Beach, about to open a new store, I’m drinking a great wine to get myself ready. Bila-Haut Occultum Lapidem is a wine from southern France that makes me want to travel to see what is so special about this vineyard. One of the great things we can talk about is the name—Occultum Lapidem—so let’s learn a little history about biodynamic wine and the name of this blend…

Rudolf Steiner was an Austrian philosopher and scientist who founded the principles of biodynamic agriculture in the 19^th century. Steiner’s  lectures were a series on an ecological and sustainable approach to agriculture that increases soil fertility without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which is widely used throughout Europe and the United States today.

Steiner did a lot of research on alchemy and sciences from the Middle Age.

Pierre Adrien Fleurant wrote to us:

    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 means:  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 our top Roussillon wines: “V.I.T.”, “R.I.” and “Occultum     Lapidem.” The big stone, which lies on the top of our main vineyard, has long been given esoteric     powers by the locals—one of them being to capture the power from the earth and spread onto the land.     We related this to the “hidden stone” motto and named the vineyard Occultum Lapidem. And in return     for all of this study, Chapoutier gets a great grade on his wine AND fabulous flavor...

There is, unsurprisingly, at least as much sheer complexity on display here as in any of Bila-Haut’s wine, with mace, vanilla, licorice, wisteria and rowan taking things in a sweeter and spicier direction than found in their other 2011s. Enveloping richness and an almost velvet feel – so fine are the tannins here – make for a soothing finish whose deeply meaty and salty savor hold my salivary glands in thrall, reminding me of the scallop-like sweetness possessed by some of the finest and most minerally-inflected of white wines. This sensational value should drink beautifully through at least 2025.  94 points, eRobertParker.com (Jan 2014)

I don’t think I could say anything any better.

Kathleen Anderson, Northwest Florida wine supervisor

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