“Maison Delas owns the Domaine des Grands Chemins and makes this wine solely from grapes grown on this estate, which lies in le Chassis. The wine is raised in a combination of stainless steel tanks and one and two wine Burgundy casks. The 2019 vintage of Grands Chemins comes in at 14.5 percent alcohol and offers up a very expressive bouquet of cassis, black raspberry, grilled venison, pepper, black olive, a lovely array of spice tones and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and complex, with a sappy core of fruit, fine soil signature, suave, moderate tannins and a long, poised and seamlessly balanced finish. This is drinking very nicely in its youthful guise and has the depth to also age gracefully. An excellent example of Crozes!”

“The 2019 Côte-Rôtie “Seigneur de Maugiron” from Delas Frères is a lovely example of the vintage, coming in at fourteen percent alcohol and offering up a deep and complex bouquet of red and black raspberries, pepper, hazelnuts, spit-roasted venison, a fine base of stony soil tones, bonfire and a nice touch of smoky oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and tangy, with a superb core of fruit, excellent focus and balance, ripe tannins and a long, vibrant and complex young finish. This wine is fermented in cement vats and raised in a mix of new and one wine casks prior to bottling. It is very typical of the wines of the vintage, with plenty of ripe fruit, excellent soil signature, chewy tannins and tangy acids. It will need plenty of cellaring to reach its apogee, but it is going to be a superb wine in due course.”

“The 2019 Cornas “Chante Perdrix” from Maison Delas Frères is a big wine in the style of the vintage, tipping the scales at a full fifteen percent octane in this drought year. However, there is nothing overripe to be found in its beautiful bouquet of raspberries, smoked meats, pepper, stony soil tones, bonfire, just a touch of chocolate and a lovely topnote of black olive. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and complex, with a rock solid core of fruit, excellent mineral drive and grip, firm, chewy tannins and a long, impressively well-balanced finish that shows only a whisper of backend heat. This is an excellent wine that will age very well indeed. I am amazed how well it carries its alcohol content this year!”

“The 2019 Hermitage “Domaine des Tourettes” from Maison Delas hails from parcels of vines in the lieux à dits of l’Ermite, les Bessards and le Sabot. The wine is fermented in traditional cement vats and then aged in a combination of new and one wine barrels prior to bottling. The wine offers up a superb bouquet of red and black raspberries, smoked meats, a gorgeously complex base of Hermitage soil tones, pepper, hickory smoke, a touch of coffee, a bit of cedary oak and a lovely array of gentle spice tones in the upper register. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and powerful in personality, with a rock solid core of fruit, excellent mineral drive and grip, ripe, firm tannins and a long, complex and fairly warm finish. This comes in at a full fifteen percent octane in this vintage and consequently, is a bit heady on the backend, but also nicely balanced and I have the gut feeling that it is going to age very nicely, despite its high alcohol level.”

“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!”