Do you ever find yourself looking over a wine list at a restaurant and you’re frustrated that you don’t know any of the wines on the list? Despite the large number of wines I review, I too find myself in this situation. But my solution to this problem is to order based on region rather than looking for a specific wine that I know.
When it comes to red wines, one of my “go to” regions that I always feel confident ordering is Southern France. More specifically, I look for wines from the Rhône or Languedoc-Roussillon. And this wine is a perfect example of why. It’s amazing!
The nose of this wine smells luxurious, with velvety blackberry, black cherry and plum aromas accented with nutmeg, black pepper and frankincense. It’s complex and elegant. It’s also amazing on the palate, with a beautifully textured mouthfeel. It offers rich black cherry and blackberry flavors balanced with earth flavors like earl grey tea. It finishes long with fruit and tea flavors delightfully lingering.
This wine is produced by Michel Chapoutier, a wine producer with a long and celebrated reputation in Southern France, particularly in the Rhône where his family produces a number of the top wines of the region. The vineyards where the grapes for this wine were grown are terraced and stony, not easy land to work but excellent for producing some delicious wine. And that’s exactly what this is.
Wine: Michel Chapoutier, Bila-Haut Cotes du Roussillon Villages
Variety: Syrah, grenache and carignan
Vintage: 2011
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 94
Price: $15.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
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