Remembering Jean-Bernard Delmas

BY NEAL MARTIN | OCTOBER 04, 2019Jean-Bernard Delmas, who passed away at the
age of 83 on 3 October 2019, was a giant figure in Bordeaux and especially the
Graves. In 1960 Delmas succeeded his father, Georges Delmas, as régisseur of Château Haut-Brion, not just
a First Growth for him, but where he was born in 1935. They were large shoes to
fill since his father had overseen every vintage since 1921. However, not only
did Jean-Bernard Delmas debut with the regal <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/wines/haut-brion-1961-haut-brion-a38ba1a2-feb7-4fcc-9d3a-93725ac8af2c">1961
Haut-Brion</a> that continues to astonish to this day, but he made the
audacious decision to replace the château’s old wooden fermentation vats with
twelve stainless-steel vessels. Its revolutionary impact cannot be overstated.
Fermentation temperatures became easier to regulate and since stainless steel
is easier to clean and rendered cuveries
more hygienic and less prone to bacterial infection. Delmas designed them
himself, squat in design, in order to enhance contact between the must and the
marc. His innovations did not stop there. Throughout the Seventies Delmas embarked
upon continuous research of rootstocks and clones in conjunction with the INRA
through multitudinous micro-vinifications. He also pioneered the technique of
using sorting tables to eradicate under-ripe berries from entering the vat. Under
his aegis, Haut-Brion made a raft of exceptional wines, such as the 1978, 1982,
1985, 1986, 1990, 1996, 1998 and 2000, not to mention La Mission Haut-Brion
from 1983 after the Dillon family bought the property on the opposite side of
the road. It is the consistency of these wines that really hits home, even in
difficult vintages. Yet the pinnacle in many people’s eyes was his landmark 1989
Haut-Brion and 1989 La Mission Haut-Brion, both awarded perfect scores in my
recent “<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/a-century-of-bordeaux-the-nines-sep-2019">A
Century of Bordeaux: The Nines</a>” article.

When I began visiting Bordeaux in the late
Nineties, Jean-Bernard Delmas was always there to greet me. Dressed smartly in
a suit and tie, as one would expect from a winemaker in charge of a First
Growth, he always came across as an erudite but humble gentleman, irrespective
of the prestige that came with his position. He was a keen amateur photographer
and apparently travelled as far as Nepal for his hobby. But it was winemaking that
was in his blood, as it had been for his father and for his son, Jean-Philippe
Delmas, who took the reins from Jean-Bernard in 2004. And because of that born desire
to farm the land and to create wine, Delmas was not in the mood to hang up his
secateurs or pipette quite yet.

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1570199208862-image+%28110%29.png"> 

Jean-Bernard
Delmas would sometimes just close his eyes and enter into a moment’s deep
thought when tasting. This was taken in April 2008 at Montrose. Copyright Johan
Berglund.

I recall visiting Château Montrose during
en primeur, surprised when Jean-Bernard Delmas suddenly appeared in the tasting
room. New owner Martin Bouyges had lured Delmas out of retirement to run the
Saint-Estèphe estate. Delmas relished a new challenge, even if I think his
heart was always in the gravelly soils of Pessac-Léognan. In 2010, a year
before he did finally retire, I
stopped before bidding farewell and took a photo of this legendary gentleman. Even
though he continued to give advice at Montrose, it was the last time that I saw
him.Jean-Bernard Delmas will be missed, but his legacy will be seen across Bordeaux for years to come. It is there in his son, who has his same down-to-earth approach, self-deprecating humour and bonhomie, not least his same winemaking talent. It is in the stainless steel vats that you see across Bordeaux. It is out in the vineyards in the suburbs of Bordeaux city and the vines he tended for many years. It is in the monumental 1989s and the other magical wines that he conjured that will give so much drinking pleasure for many years to come.

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