Occultum Lapidem, Domaine de Bila Haut, Côtes du Roussillon Villages Latour De France, 2017, M Chapoutier
A blend of 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache and 5% each of Carignan and Mourvèdre.
A serious, classically styled effort, it offers awesome aromas and flavours (blackberry, mineral and liquorice), full-bodied richness and fabulous concentration that never comes across as heavy or cumbersome. Showing additional minerality and definition with time in the glass, this beauty will have 10-15 years of longevity and should not be missed.
"The 2017 Côtes de Roussillon Villages Latour de France Occultum Lapidem is a step up from the Les Vignes bottling, drawn from just the one commune of Latour de France. A 60-40 blend of Grenache and Syrah, aged mostly in concrete, it offers up bright aromas of cherries and blueberries. It's medium to full-bodied, with a creamy mid-palate and supple tannins, then turns peppery on the long, silky finish." Jeb Dunnuck - 92/100 robertparker.com