Maison M.Chapoutier
About Maison M.Chapoutier
Established in 1808, M. Chapoutier is one of the oldest producers in the Rhône Valley. But its current worldwide fame - and the quality of its wines today - can be credited to the arrival of Michel Chapoutier in 1990. His willingness to change established practices - plus his determination to reflect the full potential of individual terroirs - has cemented his reputation as one of the greatest winemakers in the world.
The seventh-generation bearing the Chapoutier name to craft wines within the Rhône, it is reasonable to say that Michel Chapoutier is one of the most important figures not only within his native region, but the whole of France given his impact on the world’s fine wine scene.
Travelling extensively throughout both the Old and New wine producing worlds in his youth, Michel returned to the Northern Rhône with both vigorous passion for his craft as well as extensive knowledge gathered from hundreds of traditional and revolutionary vignerons from around the globe. The most important, lasting lesson learnt was the importance of terroir and the expression of nature’s nuances – a principle clearly evident throughout the modern Chapoutier offerings.
Setting about purchasing shares in his family company until he possessed a managing control, the first act of this masterful figure at the helm of Chapoutier was a revolutionary conversion of the entire estate to biodynamic principles in order to respect and encourage the terroir. An unprecedented move considered to be extraordinarily risky at the time, today many of its peers are merely playing catch-up to this imperious producer at the very height of its powers.
| Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Roussillon | 1 | 94 (WA) | HK$2,085.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (94)Slightly more ripe, voluptuous and textured than the more Syrah-dominated l’Esquerda, the translucent purple-colored 2013 Cotes du Roussillon Villages Latour de France Occultum Lapidem comes from the schist soils around the village of Latour de France. A blend of 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache and 10% Carignan that was harvest on September 15 and aged all in concrete tanks, it’s a fabulous wine that offers elegant notes of red and black raspberries, roasted herbs, pepper, melted licorice and asphalt. These flow to a medium to full-bodied 2013 that has a full, layered mid-palate, beautiful fruit, fine tannin and a classically focused, dry finish. It continues to freshen up in the glass, has integrated acidity and lots of class. Buy this brilliant wine by the case and drink it over the coming decade. |
|||||||||
|
|
Roussillon | 2 | - | HK$1,185.00 | |||||
|
|
Roussillon | 1 | 88 (WA) | HK$9,275.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (88)The estate's bargain-priced entry-level red, the 2016 Les Vignes de Bila Haut is a smooth, streamlined blend of 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache and 10% Carignan, aged exclusively in concrete vats. Medium to full-bodied, it boasts cool herbal aromas of garrigue alongside ripe cherries, then it caps those off with a fine-textured, silky finish. Drink it in its first few years. |
|||||||||
|
|
Roussillon | 1 | 90 (WA) | HK$8,695.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (90)Bila Haut's entry-level white is a super value. A blend of Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Macabeu, Vermentino and Marsanne, the 2017 Côtes du Roussillon les Vignes de Bila Haut Blanc is plump, round and richly textured in the mouth, yet it's also refreshing, with vibrant flavors of tangerine zest underscored by briny notes on the finish. |
|||||||||
|
|
Roussillon | 6 | - | HK$3,025.00 | |||||
|
|
Roussillon | 1 | 96 (JD) | HK$2,455.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (96)Deeply colored, with beautiful currants, chocolate, dried earth, and ground herbs, the 2017 Côtes Du Roussillon Villages Latour De France Visitare Interiore Terrae is full-bodied and has a rounded, sexy, opulent texture, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It’s a much more opulent, Southern Rhône styled effort compared to the more Syrah-dominated RI release. |
|||||||||
|
|
Roussillon | 1 | - | HK$3,500.00 | |||||
|
|
Roussillon | 36 | 95-97 (JD) | HK$1,920.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (95-97)The 2020 Côtes Du Roussillon Villages Latour De France Visitare Interiore Terrae is a slightly more Grenache-driven release since 2019, and I think it shows more elegance and purity because of it. All destemmed and aged in a mix of concrete tanks and once-used demi-muids, it offers a beautiful perfume of kirsch and black berry fruits intermixed with more subtle pepper, garrigue, and floral notes. Ripe, medium to full-bodied, and elegant on the palate, it’s going to have plenty of up-front appeal as well as 10-15 years of prime drinking. |
|||||||||
