| Score: |
96 VM.
"Opaque ruby. Intensely perfumed, spice- and mineral accented blackberry, cherry liqueur, potpourri, pipe tobacco and licorice on the penetrating nose. Sweet, spicy and focused on the palate, displaying impressively deep, ripe dark berry, kirsch, exotic spice and fruitcake flavors that slowly flesh out with aeration. Shows superb clarity and drive and finishes smoky and impressively long, with steadily building tannins and a lingering suggestion of candied violet . . . . Delas Frères has been on a roll for a good decade or more, and the quality has improved since they moved to their new, state-of-the-art winery in the heart of Tain l’Hermitage just before the 2019 harvest. I consider the 2019s and 2020s to be the strongest sets of wines here. Especially the 2020s, which are impressively fresh and balanced across the board, with the energy to reward patience. The Hermitage bottlings are the winery's pride, and in recent vintages, they can be counted among the appellation's top wines." Josh Raynolds, Vinous.com, Dec 2022 |