M. CHAPOUTIER - DOMAINE DE BILA HAUT 　W-K08

国名 / Country：France/フランス

出展分野 / Product Category：Wines / ワイン

出展者プロフィール / Exhibitor Outline：Michel Chapoutier claims to be an antique hunter.
He creates terroirs where no one would dare to go.

The Roussillon region, a patchwork of different terroirs and spectacular landscapes, with the snow-capped Pyrenees and vineyards as a backdrop...
Its history is rich, powerful, and sometimes violent.

It is a land of rugged landscapes, stony soils, and diverse geology, with a climate that man has exploited to grow white wines. Michel Chapoutier could not help but be drawn to the Roussillon region.

"Surprising" is a word that neatly sums up the identity of the Domaine de Bila-Haut. Because of its topography and sometimes challenging climate, there is a terroir in Roussillon that deserves to be named. M. CHAPOUTIER, convinced of the potential of the region, wanted to ensure that its wines received the recognition they deserved.

M. CHAPOUTIER selected a legendary terroir in Cathar country, steeped in the history of the Knights Templar, in a mythical location with, at its heart, a geological diversity (schist, gneiss, clay-chalk) that is totally unique.

Many centuries ago, these extraordinary features attracted the Order of the Knights Templar – and today, these same unique characteristics give the wines from Domaine de Bila-Haut their huge potential.

Michel Chapoutier decided to locate his domain at Latour-de-France.
Black and brown schist to give the wine a solar touch.
Gneiss for minerality and freshness.
A combination of limestone and chalk for strength and balance.

Three varieties of grapes grow on the land covered by Domaine de Bila-Haut:
Syrah, with its wild aromas of scrub and spice.
Grenache, so full of surprises.
And Carignan, for mineral wines with crisp tannic notes.

The “Vignes de Bila-Haut” and the “Domaine de Bila-Haut Occultum Lapidem” are the main expressions of this terroir.

The story continued in 2008 and is now taking place near the village of Lesquerde. There, the land is made of high limestone-based cliffs and dry soils, over which the “tramontane” wind blows...

Then, Michel Chapoutier’s interest in this region rose again, and a new wine was born: “L’esquerda”.
This outstanding wine is mainly based on beautiful Syrah and Grenache grapes from the finest granitic terroirs. “L’esquerda”, meaning “the fault in the rock” in Catalan, is the faithful expression of a personality, of the identity of a region.