Plan to put this baby in the cellar for a while. It comes from Les Bressards, a premier vineyard parcel known for muscular and long-lived Syrahs. Delas owns 25 acres of this cherished site. Not surprisingly, grapes are hand harvested on this steep, west facing hillside on the east bank of the Rhône river above Tain-Hermitage. This is a rich and powerful wine that will undoubtedly develop and unfold over time. The color is black ruby, quite dense suggesting the concentrated fruit in the glass. Aromas are plentiful with black cherry, cassis, leather and black olives. In the mouth, flavors are deep, rich and layered emboldened with ripe, rugged tannins. If you must drink it now, be sure to open it several hours in advance.
Delas, Hermitage (Rhône Valley, France) 2010
By Rebecca Murphy