Cotations
2010 Robert Parker 95-97
These Chapoutier wines are sometimes reviewed by my colleagues David Schildknect in his Languedoc-Roussillon report and Lisa Perrotti-Brown in her reviews of Australian wines, so I will just list the wines, my score, and the region from which they emerge. They are of very high quality and deserve readers’ attention. Hopefully my prose has convinced more than a handful of readers to try these remarkable wines from one of the most fascinating and compelling personalities in the entire wine world, and one dedicated to the highest quality.
2009 Robert Parker 91-92
From Grenache, Carignan, and Syrah planted in
a mixture of gneiss, schist, and chalk, and
vinified half each in tank and
barrel (demi-muids as well as barriques), the
2009 Cotes du Roussillon Villages Latour de
France Occultum Lapidem - due
to have been bottled in May - is scented with
rosemary, sage, blackberry, mulberry, which
are joined on a rich, expansive palate by
marrow-rich meatiness and a
striking, saline, iodine-tinged savor that I can
only liken to shrimp shell reduction. (It
there's a wine for "surf 'n turf," it's this.) The
sense of clarity, brightness, and energy here is
utterly infectious and the
combination of pure dark fruits,
invigoratingly pungent smokiness, and salivainducing
salinity is bound to induce hunger -
among other things for the next sip. Look for
at least ten or a dozen years
of stimulating acquaintance.
Wine Advocate # 183
93/100. From Grenache, Carignan, and Syrah planted in a mixture of gneiss, schist, and chalk, and vinified half each in tank and barrel (demi-muids as well as barriques), the 2007 Cotes du Roussillon Villages Latour de France Occultum Lapidem smells of violets, toasted walnuts, cassis, licorice, rosemary, roasted meats, and sea breeze. The influence of Syrah which, understandably, tends to be featured in slightly larger percentages in Bila-Haut wines than in most of Roussillon is very much in evidence. Fascinating suggestions of brine and iodine, resinous southern French herbs and exotic spices, inform the deeply fruited as well as richly carnal palate, where a caressing polish and tender, ultra-refined tannins make themselves subtly felt. The finish here is bright and refreshing even as it is profoundly rich. If there are two words I would use, Troullier took them right out of my mouth: dense and active. I imagine this incredible value and remarkable performance for its vintage will be well worth following for 5-7 years
Wine Advocate # 173 Octobre 2007
91-93. Michel Chapoutier?s outpost in the Roussillon is worthy of a detour. The 2006 cuvees are definitely superior to the 2005s, with the 2006 Occultum Lapidem showing sweeter tannin than the 2005. Its full-bodied, powerful style reveals good freshness, with copious quantities of licorice and pepper-infused black currant and black cherry fruit intermixed with some garrigue and spice box. Long, rich, supple, and quite impressive, this wine should drink beautifully for at least a decade.
Wine Advocate # 173 Octobre 2007
90. Michel Chapoutier?s outpost in the Roussillon is worthy of a detour. The 2005 Cotes du Roussillon Occultum Lapidem is a beautiful wine with loads of chocolatey, black cherry, and cassis fruit intermixed with licorice, pepper, and garrigue. Provencal, with medium to full body, a dense richness to the fruit, and a long heady finish, it should be drunk over the next 7-8 years.
Robert Parker Wine Advocate #163 (Février 2006)
90 -92 /100
"The full-bodied, long 2004 Bila Haut Occultum Lapiderm exhibits outstanding potential in its powerful, sweet raspberry and black cherry, loamy soil, resiny pine forest, herbes de Provence, and meaty richness."
Robert Parker Wine Advocate #163 (Février 2006)
90/100
"The single vineyard offering, the 2003 Bila Haut Occultum Lapiderm is a seriously-endowed, dark ruby/purple-colored wine exhibiting big notes of melted licorice, smoked herbs, creme de cassis, black cherries, and smoke. Full-bodied, powerful, rich, and impressively pure as well as long, it should drink well for a decade."
