One for the home cellar - this Roussillon red from one of the world’s most revered winemakers delivers much of the thrill of the Northern Rhône’s greatest wines, at a fraction of the price of a Côte-Rôtie or Hermitage. It will enter its optimum drinking window in a couple of years, and happily stay there for a further 5 to 7 years.

Rhône valley superstar Michel Chapoutier is always scouring the world for new terroirs to work with – in fact if there are outcrops of granite he hasn’t planted syrah on, it’s only because he hasn’t discovered them…yet! He has, however, discovered the hidden gem (English for Occultum Lapidem) that is Domaine Bila-Haut, once a house of refuge for the Knights Templar. He purchased the property in 1999, and following his firmly-held belief that wine is made in the vineyard, he has taken the estate to ever greater heights, thanks to an experienced team of viticulturalists meticulously and sustainably caring for the vines and producing very low yields of superb quality fruit.

I have been looking forward to this new 2017 Occultum Lapidem arriving in our tasting room, and I have to agree with the critics’ enthusiasm - it was very impressive indeed last week, will age very well indeed and in my mind it hits the sweetspot value-wise; a blend of syrah, grenache, carignan and mourvèdre of great depth and complexity, at a ridiculously affordable price point when compared to the great reds of Northern Rhône.

Tasting note:
Rich, dense, with peppery spices laid over intense black cherry fruit and subtle notes of lavender, this is richly textured with grippy, dark-fruit coated tannins and dark chocolate bitter notes mixing with savoury, leathery notes on the long finish. Impressively complex and long, it will only get better with a little time in the bottle.

Critics score:
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: 93/100
Jeb Dunnuck: 92/100