Crafted for Maison M. Chapoutier, the 2017 Les BilaHaut Rosè les Vignes de Pays D’OC safely arrived. So easy to enjoy, a consistent brand. This is a wine to bring to pétanque and be the hit of the party.
Rosé is such a fun experience. It adds a rosy glow to any gathering. So much so, if I arrive with a rosé, the bottle is quickly enjoyed. It was a rosé wine that brought me to my knees, when it came to finally really enjoying wine. This one? Pure delight. (Should I even say I was happy that I didn’t have to share this one, just have it for own pure delight? Well, I did say it. So the secret is out.)
PREFACE:
- HEART OF THE DEAL ~ THE WINERY: info is coming from the company’s own statements
- I can’t make up their history
- Nor am I to try
- SCIENCE ~ WINEMAKING
- SOUL ~ SAMPLE
- From: HB WINE MERCHANTS
Les Vignes de Pays D’OC #BilaHaut Rosè 2017
HEART ~ MICHEL CHAPOUTIER WINES
Fighting words (above) from one of France’s most brilliant oenologists, famed Rhône winemaker, Michel Chapoutier, head of Maison M. Chapoutier. And, his Bila-Haut wines from this Roussillon estate are already making waves among wine lovers,. He enjoys “drawing attention to the new quality wines, which now being made in this corner of Southwest France, by a band of individualists and idealists.”
Chapoutier is famously uncompromising when it comes to a wine’s ultea premium conditions. Respect for the environment is non-negotiable. The same demanding technical specifications applied to viticulture and winemaking for his celebrated Rhône wines are in place at Bila-Haut. For Chapoutier, the Roussillon offers the opportunity to make outstanding quality wines that Bila-Haut “Les Vignes” red, white, and rosé for very competitive prices. This a source of great pleasure for Chapoutier, who’s intent on introducing a broader and younger audience to the joys of good wine.
SCIENCE ~ TERROIR
Varieties: Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault
Soil: Grenache are grown in clay and limestone soils, and faces directly toward the east. Think gentle, morning sunlight… The Cinsault and Syrah are both planted on the plain, in predominantly sandy soil. This wine is 100 percent pressed Rosé. The musts undergo very little racking, in order to develop the wine’s volume, and still maintain its freshness. Fermentation lasts for 15 days, under low temperatures. (Think gentle fermentation.)
[Purchased Photo.]
SOUL ~ GRATITUDE*
I’m always grateful when I get to enjoy Bila-Haut wines. There’s no mystery, because there’s plenty of history in Chapoutier’s quality of consistency. Michel Chapoutier’s need for a winemaking style is a bit rogue. Rather than have the land for this wine come from some other wine regions, he’s chosen the Roussillon region of France. He’s not afraid to have his grape vines struggle with a development that doesn’t deliver quantity… What does happen, though, is that it becomes all about the excellent aspects. Oh là là, as we with French descent, like to say. (My Wine 101 explanation is to “just think about the tiny coveted, wild Maine blueberries.”
Always a slam-dunk, thoughtfully chosen juice is the hallmark of a Michel Chapoutier wine. The best possible – just the best possible to be delivered to us, the consumers.
Swirl… Luscious color, a teenager’s rosy pink lips, waiting for that first kiss…
Sniff… Fresh pink grapefruit, picked in March, when fully ripe and ready…
Sip… Ripe, second crop strawberries… Born in the heat of summer…
*As I write each blog, I pull an Angel Card to guide my waxing poetic… Gets me in the groove, so to speak.
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