Domaine de Bila Haut Occultum Lapidem Blanc 2018

Occultum Lapidem Blanc, Domaine de Bila Haut, Côtes du Roussillon, France, 2018, (M. Chapoutier)

Grapes: 70% Grenache blanc, 30% Vermentino, organic fruit from vineyards around the village of Latour de France, hand harvested, aged for 9 months, 70% in stainless steel vats and 30% in "demi-muids" (mainly new) with "batônnage" (stirring of the lees), no malolactic.

A lovely golden hue to this wine with stone fruit aromas (apricot, peach), a delicately roasted floral touch, minerality and complexity on the nose. The palate is lovely and fresh on entry, full of minerality and complexity. Well-balanced wine thanks to the freshness and the fat of the white Grenache. Notes of white flesh fruits with hints of vanilla.

"The 2018 Côtes du Roussillon Occultum Lapidem Blanc comes across as powerful but slightly blunt and blocky, needing a bit of time to relax and unwind. It's rich, dense and long, with intense flavors of honey, lime zest and brine."

(90-92)/100 points, Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate, April 2019

Also rated 92-94/100 points by Jeb Dunnock and 92/100 by La Revue du Vin de France

Great with chicken and apricot tagines.