Delas Frères Côte-Rôtie La Landonne
Rhône, France
Vintage:2019 (Past)
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Reviews
Wine Enthusiast 96 Points, Cellar Selection
“Fresh aromatic layers of mint sit atop crushed red cherriesand wild strawberries, with light clove and thyme on the nose. The palate is rich and enticing with black cherries, plums, rhubarb, pomegranate seeds, black olives and freshly picked rosemary leaves. Tremendous texture, structure, and refreshing acidity carry this wine to a robust finish of orange zest and black tea leaves.”
Decanter 95 Points
“Very oaky, with smoky bacon notes and wood smoke on the nose. Plump, sweetly ripe and juicy. The alcohol seems quite high, and the oak leads to quite a sweet effect on the finish, with tobacco and floral notes. From lieu-dit La Landonne, on schist soils with iron oxide, fermented in stainless steel, aged in new and one-year-old barrels.”
Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points
“The 2019 Côte Rôtie La Landonne comes from one of the greatest sites for Syrah in the world, the La Landonne lieu-dit located close to the center of the appellation, on the Côte Brune side. It reveals a deeper purple hue (it's slightly more opaque than the Seigneur de Maugiron) and offers a brilliant nose of ripe cassis, black raspberries, scorched earth, smoked herbs, and seared meat. Full-bodied and powerful on the palate, this is a deep, spicy, concentrated Côte Rôtie with a plush, layered mouthfeel, sweet tannins, beautiful balance, and a great, great finish. This puppy brings the fruit, opulence, and texture of the vintage yet still has a classic Côte Rôtie character. It benefits from a decant if you're opening bottles any time soon. It deserves 4-5 years of bottle age and will cruise of 15+.”
View From the Cellar 94+ Points
“The 2019 La Landonne bottling from Maison Delas is a touch riper than the Seigneur de Maugiron in this vintage, coming in at a full fifteen percent octane. The wine is also fermented in cement tanks and then raised in a combination of new and one year-old casks for fourteen to sixteen months prior to bottling. The bouquet is deep, pure and beautifully black fruity in profile, wafting from the glass in a mix of cassis, black raspberries, smoked meats, pepper, a fine base of dark, stony soil tones, a touch of graphite and a fine framing of nutty, cedary oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nicely plush at the core, with excellent soil transparency and grip, ripe, seamless tannins, great focus and a long, complex and beautifully balanced finish. This carries its alcohol superbly well this year and I would never peg this wine at fifteen percent, if it were served to me blind! An outstanding example of La Landonne!”
The Wine Advocate 94 Points
“The 2019 Côte-Rôtie La Landonne features its typical dark, meaty, espresso-like aromas, leavened by hints of raspberry and black cherry. It's full-bodied and concentrated but supple and relatively approachable, with soft, velvety tannins and a long, mouthwatering finish. It's delicious now, but I would not be surprised to see it close up for several years before reemerging into maturity, so catch it now, or hold it another 5+ years.”
Wine Spectator 96 Points, Hot Wines
“This is dark and still a bit reticent, with a cast iron cloak around the core of dark currant, plum and blackberry paste flavors, showing lots of sweet bay leaf, anise and singed apple wood notes in the background. There's serious grip through the finish. For the cellar. Best from 2024 through 2038.”
Overview
This ancient region dates back to the Roman Era and is located on the right bank of the Rhône. It is said that during the Middle Ages, the Seigneur de Maugiron gave a hillside to each of his two daughters—one was brunette and the other fair—thus, were born the names of Côte Brune and Côte Blonde. Wines from the Côte Blonde tend to be more delicate and lighter in character than the fuller wines of the Côte Brune. The soils of the northern part of the Côte Brune vineyard consists of extremely steep, terraced slopes of ferruginous mica schists which are covered with schist sand (arzel). La Landonne, a single-vineyard plot selection, is located in the Côte Brune and is only produced in the very best years, with a production never exceeding 2,500 bottles per year since the first bottling in 1997.
Winemaking
The grapes for the La Landonne cuvée are picked by hand at maximum maturity. Fermentation takes place in traditional open-topped concrete tanks, following three days of pre-fermentation cold maceration. Before fermentation, the maceration process continues under controlled temperatures of 82°F to 86°F. Daily cap pushing down and pumping over are carried out for about 10 days with total vatting time of up to 20 days. The wine is aged for 14 to 16 months in new or one year old oak casks. The barrels are topped up regularly.
Tasting Notes
The wine‘s deep color is underscored by plummy hues. A complex nose shows deep, fruity aromas with hints of licorice and roasted coffee. Endowed with a dense and silky tannic structure, this is a full, fleshy wine that provides an ample and generous palate. Its lasting finish speaks of considerable ageing potential.
Food Pairing
This wine pairs wonderfully with fine meats, roasted beef, water games, truffles and spicy stews. The bottle should be opened 1 to 3 hours before drinking. This wine needs at least 3 years cellaring before it can open up its complexity. In such case it is strongly recommended to decant before serving.
Technical Information
Varietals: 100% Syrah