M. Chapoutier Domaine de Bila-Haut L'Esquerda Côtes du Roussillon Villages Lesquerde Shiraz Blend 2018

94 points                                                                      A stunning value from the South of France!  The Domaine de Bila Haut "L'Esquerda" Cotes du Roussillon-Villages now available - limited. 94 points Jeb Dunnuck:  "Coming from higher elevation granite soils and just about all Syrah, the 2018 Côtes Du Roussillon Villages Lesquerde L'Esquerda offers stunning granite character with its cassis and black raspberry fruit intermixed with lots of wet stone, ground pepper, white flowers, and hints of truffle. Deep, medium to full-bodied, beautifully pure and elegant on the palate, with light tannins, it's going to keep for upwards of a decade." 93 Points Robert Parker: "A 60-40 blend of Grenache and Syrah, the 2018 Cotes du Roussillon Villages Lesquerde l'Esquerda looks potentially outstanding. Crushed stone accents give this full-bodied red a sense of austerity, while the blueberry and cherry fruit is bold and muscular, yielding to a long, mouthwatering finish. Michel Chapoutier's Roussillon outpost is a worthy extension to his Rhône Valley operations. The emphasis is on the same varieties—Grenache and Syrah, in varying proportions depending on the terroir—and overall quality is very good, with the séléctions parcellaires particularly notable for their excellence and limited production volumes...I continue to be blown away by the quality coming from Domaine de la Bila Haut, which is run with the Chapoutier team." Michel Chapoutier established Bila-Haut in 1999 when he determined he could make top notch wines in this region that rivaled his own from the Rhone. The winery, built in Latour de France, has vineyards throughout the region. All Domaine wines are farmed biodynamically. L'Esquerda comes from parcels in the granitic soils near the town of Lesquerde. Composed of primarily Syrah, this is another touchstone wine from this touchstone producer.

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