Bila Haut

A Hearty Red for A Cool Fall Night 

A rustic and juicy red wine is a perfect compliment to the cool weather we're going to see over the next few days.  Right now I'm actually excited for some cool temps.  I look forward to having those nights where you want to rush home after work to a warm house, have a warm dinner and then sit by a toasty fire.  But you need the right wine to complete that picture.....


Picture this: You're on your way home, battling traffic.  You call home on your way to figure out the plan for dinner.  






Turns out your significant other is making local chef Ben Elliott's bread "Stuffed Pumpkins" for the whole family.  Jackpot Baby!  Who doesn't love eating creamy stuff from inside a pumpkin? (email Ben if you want the recipe)





All you need to do is stop on the way home and grab a bottle of wine.  Sure, it can be a pain to add another stop at the end of your day but we're gonna make it real easy and worth it. 



Just think, soon you'll be chowing down on a moist and hearty pumpkin dish and following it up with healthy swig of this wine:

2009 Domaine Bila Haut Rouge

Regular $14.99
On Sale for $11.99 per bottle

My oh my, I love finding this kind of wine.  The kind of wine that can appeal to just about any palate. Its flavor is deep, rich, extracted and a little rustic, with black cherry, plum, and mocha notes.  No wonder it was crowned as a "Best Value" by the New York Times. 

Domaine Bila-Haut is owned by the world-renowned Rhone Valley winemaker Michel Chapoutier.  The most popular of the Chapoutier line is his "Cotes du Rhone," but this is different....and better.  So much better that the 2008 was included in Wine Spectator's Top 100 most exciting wines of the year. 

The Bila Haut estate is located in the Cotes du Roussillon of Languedoc, which borders the Rhone Valley in southern France and has many of the same grapes planted as you find in Rhone wines.


Bila-Haut is planted to old vines that Chapoutier farms organically with biodynamic techniques.  It is planted to Grenache, Carignan and Syrah. The cool winters, hot summers, low rainfall, and the local 'Mistral' (drying breeze), combine to make a perfect climate for these grapes.  All of the grapes are hand picked in the vineyards.   What do you serve with this wine?  It will pair beautifully with roasted and grilled meats, beef stew, bean soups and PUMPKIN inspired dishes.

The Press:  Besides the 2009 being the best value of the New York Times Roussillon tasting, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave this year's wine 89 points. 

Wine Advocate Review:
"The 2009 Cotes du Roussillon-Villages Les Vignes de Bila-Haut represents a tank-raised blend of Grenache, Carignan, and Syrah from gneiss and schist sites in various parts of the Agly Valley - to that extent like its earlier counterparts - but with the addition of fruit grown on granite in Lesquerde, thus preserving this cuvee's role as a collaboration across the estate's range of sites. Blueberry in fresh and distilled form; fennel and licorice; almond and cherry pit; crushed stone and peat entertain nose and palate, with glyceral richness helping to ameliorate the considerable grain of tannin, and leading to a finish of satisfying length."