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 northerly vineyards are mainly over granite subsoils that follow on from those of the Hermitage hill. To the south the soils are both fluvial-glacial alluviums, with terraces of rolled stones from the old river bed, mixed with loess.
The climate has a southerly exposure in the hillside areas and is tempered by the Mistral wind.
“Le Clos” grapes are harvested at optimum maturity from this single vineyard. The winemaking is done in traditional open-topped concrete tanks, following a 2 day period of skin contact at low temperature. The fermentation follows at controlled temperatures from 82°F to 86°F (28°C to 30°C). Daily cap pushing down and pumping over are carried out for about 10 days. The total vatting time can last up to 20 days.
Maturation lasts for 10 to 14 months in oak barrels which have already held wine for 1 to 3 years.
A rainy winter followed by a dry, warm spring gave good water reserves combined with high temperatures which resulted in early bud burst and a quick and healthy start to the vegetative cycle. In mid-May, flowering was followed by exceptional fruit set with almost every flower bearing fruit. July and August were cooler and the rain returned, in small amounts, but every weekend. Although not enough to disrupt the vegetative cycle, it was enough to worry the wine growers. The end of summer was sunny and windy with ideal weather for healthy vines with optimum ripeness levels. This ensured perfect conditions for harvesting. Delas was one of the last to harvest, particularly in the Côte-Rôtie (between the 22nd and the 24th of September) ensuring good phenolic ripeness.
2014 was an excellent year for the hillside vineyard parcels which produced low yields of outstanding quality.
A beautifully balanced example of Crozes Hermitage. Opening with an abundance of black berry fruit followed by touches of leather, spice and game. The palate is perfectly balanced with a log finish of black cherries.
Delicious with mixed grills such as marinated beef or chicken.
Crozes-Hermitage AOC
100% Syrah
Cork
Yes
Yes
