2020 Michel Chapoutier Les Vignes de Bila-Haut Rose IGP Pays d'Oc 750 ml

Crafted by the 40X 100-point winemaker Robert Parker dubbed “a young genius,” Michel Chapoutier’s 2020 Bila-Haut Rosé is more than a flawless expression of France’s sea-sprayed paradise—it’s a wine that conventional wisdom says is too good to be true.  

A marriage of fascinating complexity and easy enjoyment, this is the kind of bottle that would cost two or three times as much if it came from a little ways up the coast. But Chapoutier’s strategic positioning in the South of France and knack for delivering unbelievable value mean this bottle is an outstanding deal. 

The perfect bottle to kick off springtime and sip all summer long, the 2020 Bila-Haut is deep pink in the glass, and like the great Provencal rosés, has an aromatic landscape that stretches from steep hillsides to the seaside: sun-kissed wild strawberries, rhubarb, and fresh herbs mix with a mineral-rich energy, shot through with saline savoriness that will keep your mouth watering for the next taste, the next glass, the next bottle. 

Wine Access members know Chapoutier’s Bila-Haut bottlings as some of the greatest wine values in France, and this one builds upon that reputation. We recommend you do the math on all the warm nights, Sunday barbecues, patio parties (and more) that are coming down the pike, and stock up accordingly. 

France’s Mediterranean coast is home to some of the most exquisite and expensive rosé in the world. But when Michel Chapoutier headed from his Northern Rhône home to the South of France two decades ago, he didn’t stake his claim near rosé’s glitziest appellations, but struck out in the wilds of the Agly Valley. It’s a straight shot across the bay from Bandol, but a world away from the $40+ prices that are commonplace there.

But Chapoutier’s got both the bright Midi sun and sparkling sea influence, resulting in a rosé with the power to transport: We first tasted it with some Napa Valley sunshine streaking down between the clouds, and we could have been lounging under the umbrellas at our favorite seaside cafe a few miles from Bila-Haut, sipping it alongside calamar a la planche. 

A blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Cinsault, this is the perfect snapshot of the place where the sun-baked slopes meet the sea. Michel macerates and ferments the cuvée in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks. The resulting bottle is exactly what we want from a rosé from the style’s most important region: Lush fruit riding on a wave of fresh acidity, intertwining elegance and verve from the first swirl to the last sip.