Lot presentation

Hermitage Marquise de la Tourette Delas Frères 1998

The wine

This Syrah cuvée comes from a blend of three soils: l’Ermite, Le Sabot and the prestigious terroir of les Bessards. As for all the wines of the Maison, Marquise de la Tourette benefits from careful care and attention: harvested by hand, terroir by terroir, prolonged barrel ageing (14 to 16 months) on wood from one to three years. This prevents marking the wine too much in its early years. This cuvée offers up powerful and intense aromas of ripe black fruit (blackcurrant, blueberry), blended with subtle hints of spices and vanilla. The palate, firm but unctuous, even creamy, reveals notes of truffle and pleasant minerality.

About the Producer Delas Frères

Founded in 1835, Maison Delas Frères is a part of a very exclusive circle of the finest producers in the Rhône Valley in terms of both quality and variety of appellations. The domaine was bought by Champagne Deutz in 1977 and then by Maison Roederer in 1993 but the spirit of the wines remains unchanged and faithful to their terroir. In 1996 Fabrice Rosset (Champagne Deutz) was appointed to manage the domaine and soon realised the great potential of the vineyard. He hired Jacques Grange, a young oenologue who had already proved his worth at some of the finest Rhône domaines. Thanks to him, the quality of wines at Delas has improved hugely and the domaine has invested accordingly: the winery has been entirely refurbished and 7,000 feet of vines have been replanted. It spans over 30 hectares of which 10 are in Hermitage, 18 in Crozes-Hermitage and 2 in Saint-Joseph. Delas Frères is also a negoçiant and offers wines from other appellations, such as Cornas, Côte-Rôtie et Condrieu.