Delas Freres Hermitage Blanc Domaine des Tourettes 2019 (750ml)

 

Rated 95+ Points by The Wine Advocate

 

“The star of the Delas whites is the 2019 Hermitage Domaine des Tourettes Blanc, based on Marsanne from L'Ermite, Le Sabot (the bottom portion of Les Bessards) and La Tourette.  Barrel fermented and aged in approximately one-third new French oak, it offers scents of crushed stone, pencil shavings, toasted coconut, ripe pear and melon, plus hints of citrus.  Full-bodied and rich, it's creamy in texture and weighty on the palate, yet with great persistence and lingering flavors.  Delicious now, I suspect it will close down within the next year or two, yet it should be capable of aging for up to two decades, adding layers of richness and truffled complexity.”  Joe Czerwinski May 13, 2021

 

Rated 95 Points by Wine Spectator

 

“Still a bit youthfully compact, but there's focus and drive to the mix of salted butter, acacia, quince, lemon curd and white peach flavors.  This has polished edges offset by a racy spine through it all.  Cellar for maximum effect.  Marsanne and Roussanne.  Best from 2022 through 2032.”  James Molesworth February 28, 2021

 

Rated 95 Points by Decanter

 

“A fresh, fine, direct fragrance - quince, pear and plum.  Very rounded and generous on the palate, a little on the fat side.  This has real depth however.  There's a vein of acidity buried in the wine which will help give it some freshness, but it's not as fresh as some this year, it’s very full-bodied, but still very good.  Fermented and aged in new and recent barriques, partial malolactic.”  Matt Walls October 4, 2020

 

Delas Freres Hermitage Blanc

 

Domaine des Tourettes 2019

 

The Hermitage Domaine des Tourettes is the first wine to be produced by Delas Frères exclusively from the 8.5 hectares that are farmed on the famous hill that overlooks the town of Tain.  This wine replaced the Marquise de la Tourette cuvée starting with the 2009 vintage.

 

The Hermitage appellation is one of the greatest in the northern Rhône Valley.  About 320 acres of vines cover the region’s steep slopes, which enjoy an excellent southern exposure.  The sun warms the hill from dawn till dusk, and during the night the granitic soil radiates the day’s heat.  Devoted primarily to the Syrah grape, the region also produces white wines that are grown where the topsoil has more clay content.

 

This cuvée is a blend from three different terroirs: L'Ermite, le Sabot and La Tourette, with an average production of around 5,000 bottles per year.

 

Varietals:  90% Marsanne, 10% Roussanne

 

Aging:  9 to 12 months in barrel with regular stirring of the lees

 

Tasting Notes

 

Pale yellow with green tints.  The hue is bright with good density.  On the nose the wine shows floral notes, underpinned by candied citrus fruit fragrances.  These are complimented by fine oaky notes, such as vanilla and toasted brioche.  Its powerful character shows on the palate.  Concentrated and opulent, with a perfectly balanced structure, this Hermitage has beautiful freshness and a good mineral character, giving it great aromatic length.

 

Food Pairing

 

This wine pairs well with cheese, white meats such as chicken with morilles mushrooms or quail with truffles, as well as fish such as grilled sea bass with citrus fruit.

 

Winemaking

 

The harvest is carried out by hand in two stages.  The juice is pressed by separating the free-run wine and the press wine.  After a light racking, the must is put into barrel (new barrels, or used previously for one or two vintages) in order for the alcoholic fermentation to take place.  With the aim of perserving the wine's freshness on the finish, malolactic fermentation is sometimes carried out only partially.

 

The wines are fermented in barrel for 9 to 12 months, on their lees, with the lees regularly stirred up.  Two months before bottling the wine is blended, after which it is stelled and racked into a tank so that the different elements have time to become balanced and harmonious before going into bottle.

 

 

La Maison Delas Frères

 

The celebrated Delas Frères wine company was founded back in 1835.  Since 1996, the spirit and soul that contributed to its reputation for high quality wines have been restored.

 

The company's new management has made important investments in the Saint-Jean-de-Muzols production site near Tournon-sur-Rhône.

 

Its highly-motivated team is proud to play its part in the revival of the quality of this venerable Rhône Valley wine company.  A specially designed vat-house for the vinification of red wines, as well as a full restructuring of the ageing cellars, are among the new quality measures at Delas, all aimed at perpetuating and enhancing the expression of the Terroir.

 

The Domaines

 

Hermitage

 

The south-facing AOC Hermitage vineyards (red and white) extend over less than 130 hectares.  Delas Frères' "Domaine des Tourettes" covers almost 10 hectares and its grapes go exclusively into the production of two fine red wines.  It is mainly crafted from a blend of two terroirs, the prestigious Les Bessards terroir (itself made up of several lieux-dits) as well as the Grandes Vignes terroir.  "Domaine des Tourettes" is a rich, complex wine (100% Syrah) that reflects the remarkable granitic subsoils of this part of the AOC.

 

The white Hermitage combines rich and complementary floral notes from the Marsanne and Roussane varietals.

 

 

Rated 95 Points by Wine Spectator

 

“Still a bit youthfully compact, but there's focus and drive to the mix of salted butter, acacia, quince, lemon curd and white peach flavors.  This has polished edges offset by a racy spine through it all.  Cellar for maximum effect.  Marsanne and Roussanne.  Best from 2022 through 2032.”  James Molesworth February 28, 2021