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Delas Frères
Delas Frères is one of the smaller Rhone négociants. Established in 1836, the family firm maintained its independence until 1978 when it was purchased by the Champagne house Deutz. Despite the subsequent purchase of Deutz by Roederer in 1993, little actually changed at Delas Frères. Dominique Lallier oversaw the vineyards, winery and distribution from 1990 onwards, and it is perhaps unsurprising with so much on his plate that the various wines produced were more dependable than exciting.
The turnaround at Delas Frères came in 1997, with the appointment of
Jacques Grange. Grange, graduate of the University of Dijon, had been instrumental in revitalising the
Chapoutier range,
and he had also served under another influential figure of the Rhone,
Jean Luc Colombo, before joining Delas Frères.
Before the arrival of Grange the wines of Delas had taken years of criticism. The Delas range
included a number of unexciting
cuvées. Grange reacted with a program of improvement in both vineyard and cellar, including destemming, cold pre-fermentation soaks and optimising use of oak and sulphur. In particular Grange stopped the heavy-handed fining and filtration of the top wines, a practice which had been frequently cited as the cause of many Delas
disappointments. Following the appointment of Jacques Grange, quality at Delas Frères rocketed. It is this recent rise in quality that makes Delas Frères such an
interesting subject for a tasting. The focus of this series, however, is the
examination of the quality of négociant wines, but this is difficult with Delas
because without doubt the most superior cuvées originate from the plot of Les
Bessards owned by the firm. Nevertheless, I recently had the opportunity to
sample a representative selection of the Delas range, including both lesser
cuvées made from purchased fruit, such as the Cotes du Rhone and Condrieu La
Galopine, as well as wines from Delas' own vineyards including the coveted plot in Les
Bessards.
This plot in Les Bessards is the jewel in the Delas crown. It is the source of both red and white Hermitage Marquis de Tourette and, of course, the flagship wine Hermitage Les Bessards. This cuvée, produced only when vintage conditions suit, was first made in the 1990 vintage. I taste the inaugural vintage here. Other appellations where Delas owns plots or holds tenancy include Cote Rotie (4 hectares, source of the Seigneur de Maugiron cuvée), Condrieu (4.5 hectares, source of the Clos Boucher cuvée), St Joseph (the 4 hectare Cote St Epine vineyard) and Crozes-Hermitage. Other wines, which range from vin de pays up to the top appellations of the Rhone including Cornas and Condrieu, are made from purchased fruit. (28/1/04)
Contact details:
Address: ZA de l'Olivet, 07300 St-Jean de Muzols
Telephone: +33 (0) 4 75 08 60 30
Fax: +33 (0) 4 75 08 53 67
Internet: www.delas.com
Delas Frères - Tasting Notes
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Delas Crozes-Hermitage Les Launes Blanc 2001: Marsanne 80%, Roussanne 20%. A bready
nose. A very refreshing palate, with good bright acidity. A minerally, bready
roundness to the flavours, and a nice honeyed finish. 16/20 (November 2003)
Delas Condrieu La Galopine 2001: Not what I would call an explosive nose,
showing mere hints of peach and pine kernel. There is good roundness and a sweet
texture on the palate, but barely acceptable acidity. Fat and rich texture. It
lacks impact through the midpalate, but finishes with some interesting nut and
herb character. 16/20 (November 2003)
Delas St Joseph Les Challeys Rouge 2001: Sweet and spicy aromas on the nose.
Here again we have a big, soft mouthfeel. Some decent tannins and moderate
acidity. Seems somewhat formulaic and lacking in focus. 15.5/20 (November 2003)
Delas Côtes du Rhône St Espirit Rouge 2000: Syrah 70%, Grenache 20%,
Mourvèdre 5%, Cinsaut 5%. A slightly
smoky nose of sweet red fruits. Sweet, mature fruit on the palate, with spicy
tannins and firm acidity, but certainly a mature flavour profile. Slightly oily,
possibly barrel-influenced mouthfeel. Drink now. 15/20 (November 2003)
Delas Crozes-Hermitage Les Launes Rouge 2000: Quite closed on the nose, with
just a little sweet red-black fruit peeking through. It has a sweet, soft
palate, with good extract and a full mouthfeel. Plenty of fruit here, and a firm
tannic backbone. Very approachable though. Drink now. 15.5/20 (November 2003)
Delas Hermitage Marquis de Tourette Rouge 1999: A dense and lovely array of roasted nuts
and fruits on the nose here. A big, sweet texture, backed up by sufficient
structure. In fact this is a very balanced and appealing wine. Lovely core of ripe
tannins and correct acidity. A different style to the 1998, but again the
quality of the vintage shows. 18+/20 (November 2003)
Delas Hermitage Marquis de Tourette Blanc 1998: Marsanne 90%, Roussanne
10%. A nose of buttered toast, with a honeyed edge. The palate has a good,
honeyed flavour offset by grippy acidity. Notes of bread, minerals and smoke.
This is lovely. 17+/20 (November 2003)
Delas Hermitage Marquis de Tourette Rouge 1998: This is darker and
richer, and shows more character on this tasting. A big, powerful palate, ripe
and integrated, and surprisingly approachable. Fine tannins and gentle acidity.
A very smoothly texture combination of power and elegance, with roasted nut and
fruit flavours. The quality of the vintage shows here. 18+/20 (November 2003)
Delas Hermitage Les Bessards 1996: This is the top cuvée from Delas,
produced only in great vintages such as 1990 and 1991.
Deep purple colour. Sweet berry fruits on the nose, with
lots of oak. A similar profile on the palate, with lots
of tannin, and a rich yet elegant mouthfeel. This wine
needs a lot of time, but has a lot of potential. From a
Rhône
blind tasting. 18+/20 (January 2001)
Delas Hermitage Marquis de Tourette Rouge 1994: There isn't a great
depth of colour to this wine; at the core it has a brick red hue, and there is
some early browning at the rim. Certainly it is showing maturity, and on the
nose there are some very tertiary aromas, of stony seashells, smoke, furry
animal skin and farmyards. It seems a little mousey, and Brett seems to be
playing a role here; also it seems slightly hot. The first impression on the
palate is of softness, and then a farmyardy flavour which matches exactly the aroma
found on the nose.
The texture is nice, and there is decent extract, although the grip is a little
raw and bitter. Overall it seems to have lost its way; there is no direction, it
is unfocussed, and although there is a little acidity at the fore there isn't
the delineation or freshness I would like. All in all, this is mostly a wine of
the farmyard. There is rusticity and no finesse. I am afraid I find it very
disappointing, although with Brett variation from one bottle to the next is
almost inevitable, so some bottles may be much better than this. For label images and more see my
Wine of the Week write-up. 13.5/20
(January 2008)
Delas Hermitage Cuvée Marquise de la Tourette Blanc 1993: The Delas vines account for
just 1 hectare of the ten owned or rented by the firm on the hill, and is predominantly Marsanne,
with Roussanne more of a seasoning than a major ingredient it seems. In the
glass it has a rich, golden hue that is full of promise, and the nose is full of
delightful character, with aromas of truffles and nuts presented in an open and
expressive fashion. I find it quite captivating. There is a tangible weight to
it, and yet it is reserved, with a gentle, attractive, nicely integrated,
complete feel on the palate. Always harmonious, it shows a gently honeyed,
nutty, soft and creamy character, more of a tender caress than the firm grip
provided by some wines. A lovely finish of stone fruit nuances and a moderate
length. After the disappointment of the 1994 Rouge this is an uplifting
experience. Very good indeed. For label images and more see my
Wine of the Week write-up. 17.5/20
(January 2008)
Delas Côte-Rôtie Seigneur de Maugiron 1990: This wine has a
surprisingly obvious caramel, toffee and coconut nose. Packed with fat
fruit on the palate, with lashings of new oak. Low acidity, integrated
tannins. No typicity here. There's plenty of effort gone into making
this wine, but no elegance as a result. From a
Northern Rhône 1990
blind tasting. 12/20 (May 2001)
Delas Hermitage Les Bessards 1990: Great colour, with just an earthy hue of
maturity. No sediment, save for a healthy dollop of tartrate crystals. The nose
has a tarry, burnt edge to a surprising wealth of fruit with a floral elegance.
As it develops it becomes more masculine, offering aromas of meat, earth and
iron. The palate has great power controlled by lovely balance. There's a
bitter-edged grip and fine acidity. Full, weighty but reserved rather than
opulent. Cracking stuff. Despite over ten years bottle age, the quality of both
vintage and cuvée shine through with great power - this is incredible wine which
needs at least another five years or more in the cellar to show
its best, and will drink well for a decade or more thereafter. 18.5+/20 (November 2003)
Delas Côte-Rôtie Seigneur de Maugiron 1988: Red wine with a tawny tinge. It still has
plenty of fruit on the nose, with a burnt edge and some treacle toffee
notes. Full bodied on the palate, with plenty of acidity. Lots of
structure, nice tannins and good fruit. From a
Northern Rhône 1988
blind tasting. 16.5/20 (July 2002)
Delas Côte-Rôtie Seigneur de Maugiron 1988: This
wine has a deep purple hue. Surprisingly intense
blackberry and cassis fruit on the nose, very quickly
developing aromas of barbecued fillet steak, black
pepper, toasted oak and the barest hint of rubber. There
is also an aromatic, peachy note from the Viognier, a
very welcome complexity. Despite an elegant, medium body,
the wine has quite a presence in the mouth, with a firm,
grainy tannic backbone, and rich yet not luscious fruit.
A little toasty oak, pepper and smoke, and balanced
acidity. That peachy note shows through on the endpalate,
together with a flourish of tannin, leading into a good
length. 17/20 (November 2000)
Delas Côte-Rôtie Seigneur de Maugiron 1985: This has a similar, fairly dense colour,
with an appealing nose of rose petal tobacco, tar and beef extract.
Delightful complexity that kept me coming back for more. On the palate
it has more elegance than the other wine, and has a finer balance. There
is just a touch of rounded fatness, with some smoke, pepper and fruit
flavours, and a floral streak. Most impressive is the substantial
length. A good
showing from this much maligned négociant. From a
Northern Rhône 1980-1986
blind tasting. 17/20 (October 2001)
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