Founded 160 years ago in the heart of the northern Côtes du Rhône, Delas Freres today crafts world class wines from both northern and southern Rhône.
Tending the steep sloping vineyards, which total some 30 hectares of vines, the team adapt their growing practices to each plot of vines to let the terroir of the Rhône shine through in the wines.
Crafted by winemaker Jacques Grange (who is originally from Burgundy), the wines from Delas Freres epitomise finesse and elegance. Recent vintages from the vineyards of Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Côte Rôtie, Condrieu, Côtes-du-Rhône and Côtes-du-Ventoux have bee lauded in the press for their intensity of flavour and excellent value.
The soils in the northern part of the vineyard, the Côte Brune, consists of extremely steep, terraced slopes of ferruginous mica schists which are covered with schist sand (arzel). The Côte Blonde has a varied geology with gneiss and granite predominating at the most southern part of the appellation.
The climate is moderate continental with dry, hot summers and regular rainfall during the other seasons.
The grapes for the “Seigneur de Maugiron” cuvée are picked by hand, plot by plot, at top maturity. Fermentation takes place in traditional open-topped concrete tanks, following two days of pre-fermentary cold maceration. The maceration process continues under controlled temperatures of 82°F to 86°F (28°C to 30°C). Daily cap pushing down and pumping over are carried out for approximately 10 days. The total vatting time can last up to 20 days.
The wine is aged for 14 to 16 months in new or one year old oak casks.
2015 was a very early vintage. Nevertheless, night time temperatures were low over the weeks leading up to the harvest and the end of the ripening period was quite slow.
Thanks to the dry soils, the vineyards were not affected by the heavy rainfall on the weekend of the 12th of September. The grapes from the low-lying vineyards were more fragile and had already been picked before the rainy spell.
The 2015 vintage is reminiscent of great years such as 1989, 1990 and more recently the 2009 vintage, but with more elegance.
The colour is deep crimson. The powerful yet subtle nose of Côte-Rôtie “Seigneur de Maugiron” has blackcurrant, redcurrant, liquorice and smoky aromas, underscored with light woody notes. The palate shows a tightly-knit tannic framework. The wine is well-balanced with a silky texture. It combines fine concentration with great delicacy.
High Quality red meat such as roast beef, truffles, spicy stews.
Robert Parker: 93 POINTS
“A blend of several parcels in the Cote Brune and Cote Blonde, aged in new and second use barrels. It´s less aromatic than many of its brethren at this point but it does offer attractive red berry aromas bolstered by red and black fruit on the palate with hints of cracked pepper and smoke. It´s a serious effort, with dusty tannins that suggest it will age gracefully for a decade or two.”
Decanter: 93 POINTS
“A roasted, intense, searching nose cascades into a big-boned beast that is full of spiced oak and an earthy mineral undertone. The oak is glossy and the fruit just discernible behind its monumental core. This does not lack for potential.”
Côte-Rôtie AOC
100% Syrah
Cork
Yes
Yes
