Delas Frères St. Joseph Sainte-Épine

Rhône, France

Vintage:2019 (Past)

2020 (Current)

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Delas Frères St. Joseph Sainte-Épine 2019
  • WS 94
  • WA 93
  • VFTC 92

Reviews

View From the Cellar 92 Points August 2022, John Gilman

“The Saint-Épine bottling of Saint-Joseph from Delas is a single vineyard bottling made from a sloping hillside in the commune of Saint-Jean de Muzols; this wine is only sequestered on its own in top flight vintages. It is aged in a fifty-fifty combination of new and one wine casks for just under a year and a half prior to bottling. The 2019 Saint-Épine is a ripe wine, coming in at fifteen percent alcohol and offering up a deep and complex nose of red and black raspberries, grilled meats, chocolate, pepper, stony soil tones, bonfire and a nice framing of smoky oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and amazingly well balanced for its octane, with a plush core of fruit, excellent soil signature and grip, ripe, buried tannins and a long, complex and focused finish. This carries its alcohol exceptionally well, with just a hint of backend heat showing on the finish. Fine, fine juice in the making.”

The Wine Advocate 93 Points January 20, 2022, Joe Czerwinski

“An impressive showing, the 2019 Saint Joseph Sainte-Épine features aromas and flavors of blueberries and black cherries, plus hints of violets, peppery spice and black olives. It's full-bodied, but it carries its labeled 15% alcohol well, with no sign at all of alcoholic warmth, while supple tannins give a welcome sense of gentle structure and add a softly dusty feel to the long finish. Tasted twice, with consistent notes.”

Wine Spectator 94 Points October 31, 2021, James Molesworth

“This flows beautifully, with a ripe, pure and steady beam of cassis and dark cherry preserves that shows good brightness and delineation through the finish, picking up light floral and mineral accents along the way. Seductive in style, with a lovely mouthfeel and sneaky length. Best from 2022 through 2032.”

Overview

This wine was reputed in the 16th century for its delicacy, and was poured at the table of the kings of France. It was the Jesuits of Tournon who gave the area its current name in the 17th century. Between 1956 and 1969, all the vineyards from this area which used to be named Côtes du Rhône were regrouped and established under the appellation Saint-Joseph.

This cuvée is a vineyard plot selection only made in the very best years and production is deliberately limited to 4,000 bottles per year.

Winemaking

The grapes for this wine come from a single plot selection of "Sainte-Épine," which forms a south-facing slope hillside on the commune of Saint-Jean de Muzols in the heart of the appellation. The vineyards of Saint-Joseph stretch more than 35 miles along the right bank of the Rhône river, from Chavanay in the north, to Guilherand in the south. The soil is light and gravelly, comprised of schist and gneiss rock over a granite base. The climate is moderate, with hot, dry summers and normal rainfall the rest of the year. The vineyards have southern and southeastern sun exposure.

The "Sainte-Épine" grapes are harvested by hand, at optimum maturity. Fermentation takes place in traditional, open-topped concrete tanks, after three days of pre-fermentary skin contact at cool temperatures. Maceration continues at controlled temperatures of 82°F to 86°F. Daily cap pressing and pumping takes place for about 10 days, with a total maceration period of up to 20 days. The wine is aged for 14 to 16 months in oak barrels in one half new, one half one-year-old barrels. The barrels are topped up regularly.

Tasting Notes

The wine has a deep ruby color with purple tinges. Its nose shows aromas of blackberries and spices, lifted by some mineral and gently wooded notes. Well concentrated, this has pure flavors that come to the palate in successive layers of varying aromas, all of equal intensity.

Food Pairing

This wine pairs well with game, marinated beef in sauce, grilled food, green peppers and any kind of cheese.

Technical Information

Varietals: 100% Syrah

Wine Alcohol: 13%