This month I'm taking a tour of the Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France from the comfort of my own home! I've got ten wines from the region; six from Roussillon and four from Languedoc. As you probably know, it's been rather difficult to keep this blog going lately so these reviews will be short and sweet.
Today's wine is from the Côtes du Roussillon-Villages AOC. So... there's the sans-Villages "Côtes du Roussillon AOC" that covers the whole region of Roussillon. This means it's AOC level wine, with stricter rules and generally better quality than Vin de Pays / IGT, and it can be from anywhere in the Roussillon. It can be blended from several subregions, or it can be from one specific subregion but follow the rules of the Côtes du Roussillon AOC and not the more specific region it comes from. The "Côtes du Roussillon-Villages AOC" is a subregion of the Côtes du Roussillon AOC, and it's in the northern half of the Roussillon. These villages are in the valley of the Agly River, with the Côtes du Roussillon-Villages AOC vineyards planted on the best slopes.
You have to use three varieties of grapes at the very least to make a red Côtes du Roussillon-Villages AOC, and you only have five to chose from. You can use a maximum of 60% with Carignon, a minimum of 30% with Mourvèdre and/or Syrah combined, and then the rest can be either Grenache or Lladoner. M. Chapoutier Les Vignes de Bila-Haut 2016 is 50% Grenache, 40% Syrah, and 10% Carignon. It has a 14.5% ABV.
The color of the wine is purple as fuuuuuuuuuuuck. Like they fermented Grimace from McDonald's. On the nose there's aromas of violets, strawberry licorice, and anise. It's light to medium bodied with a dusty mouthfeel, grainy tannin, and tart acidity. There's flavors of strawberry licorice, jammy blackberries, and black pepper. It finishes astringent with the flavors of blackberries and anise.
I'm giving this wine a 3 out of 5 in price vs quality for Satisfying at $12. There's really nothing special about it and there's nothing wrong with that because it's not bad either. It is what it is: a solid bottle of $12 wine. And that's exactly what it's supposed to be. So yeah, you'll be happy with it for the money you spent. But do give it a slight chill.
QUALITY VS PRICE RATING
Price: $12
Rating: 3/5 = Satisfying (what does that mean?)
The bottle used was supplied free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.
The bottle used was supplied free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.
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