Delas Cotes-du-Rhone Saint-Esprit Rouge 2023

Few wineries carry the same weight in the Rhone as the name Delas. The Delas family began making wine in the Rhone Valley in the early 1800’s, and developed quite a reputation over the years. But everything changed when Jacque Grange came aboard and the winery went from one of the better wineries in the Rhone to one of the best wineries in France and beyond.

Jacques Grange is a Burgundian winemaker who spent years under the tutelage of the famous Michel Chapoutier before he joined the Delas team. His impact was immediate, with Robert Parker Jr. himself writing, “Delas has joined the ranks of the finest Rhoney Valley producers. The impetus for the change is Jacques Grange.”

Grange doesn’t do it alone though, together he and Claire Darnaud, a star in her own right, manage a winemaking team at a winemaking facility that is second to none. If you’ve ever been to Delas, it’s stupid nice. Truthfully, it looks more like a winemaking museum than a working facility– but for a winery producing some of the best Cote-Rotie, Hermitage, Chateaneuf-du-Pape and St. Joseph, with dozens of skus across both whites and reds, I guess they need the space.

The beauty of Delas is in the value of the wines. Ranging anywhere from $10 all the way up to $300/btl, the team at Delas puts the same care into their little wines as they do their signature Côte-Rôtie ‘La Landonne’. It doesn’t matter, everything is made to be fresh, structured and unique to the terroir.