Delas Frères Côte-Rôtie La Landonne

Rhône, France

Vintage:2020 (Current)

2017 (Past) | 2019 (Past) |

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Delas Frères Côte-Rôtie La Landonne 2020
  • JD 97
  • WE 97
  • JS 96
  • D 94
  • W&S 92

Reviews

Wine Enthusiast 97 Points, #16 Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2024 December 1, 2024, Anna-Christina Cabrales

This singular expression of pure Syrah exudes a stunning interplay of power, beauty, and elegance. Immediate sappy and mineral-laden aromas weave through black plum, boysenberry, violets, lavender, and fresh vanilla, layered with savory herbs and a hint of meatiness. The palate is textured and silky, with tannins that are well integrated, framing touches of mushroom and iodine. A satin-like texture develops with aeration, demonstrating that this wine is built to age gracefully well through 2040+. 

Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points March 2024, Jeb Dunnuck

Moving to the single vineyard 2020 Côte Rôtie La Landonne, this beauty is 100% Syrah that spent 16 months in a mix of new and used barrels. It's similarly deep purple/plum-hued yet has a more mineral-laced, focused, full-bodied style as well as classic La Landonne notes of smoked meats, liquid violets, creosote, blueberry, and black raspberries, with a gorgeous, sappy, floral character that you don't find in every La Landonne out there. Deep, rich, and seamless, I love its overall balance, and it has perfectly ripe, integrated tannins, good acidity, and a blockbuster of a finish. I followed this bottle for multiple days, and it gained richness and depth and, even after three days of being open, didn't show a hint of fatigue or oxidation. Nevertheless, it's a modern-day Côte Rôtie that already offers incredible pleasure yet will have 25+ years of overall longevity if well-stored. Bravo.

JamesSuckling.com 96 Points April 27, 2023, Stuart Pigott

A very rich, suave and refined Cote-Rotie that should impress Burgundy fans as much as friends of the Rhône, and is just beginning what should be a very long life. Integrated deep black fruit aromas, silky tannins and stony minerality. Excellent potential. Matured for 18-plus months in barrel, roughly a quarter of which were new. Drinkable now, but best from 2025.

Wine & Spirits 92 Points April 2023, Corey Warren

Earthy-sweet blueberry flavors are brightened by an acidity that would make me excited to try this wine again in five years. Though the wine is suave and rich, it presents some of syrah's animal funk and floral aspects at the edges and at the end of its length. If you open it now, decant it to diminish the toasty oak in the finish. For grilled lamb.

Decanter 94 Points September 30, 2021, Matt Walls

Juniper and warm herbal notes behind berry fruits on a fresh nose. Rounded and juicy on the palate, this is a ripe, well-shaped wine with fine tannins, a good sense of energy and true focus. A slick of ripe, fine tannin in reserve gives this some ageing potential. Fermented in open-top concrete tanks for 20 days, then matured in new and one-year-old barrels for 14 months.

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