2006 Cornas Chante-Perdrix

Jacques Grange told me that he prefers the relative elegance of 2007 to 2006. "But I'm a Burgundy man, literally, so I tend to value finesse over power," he explained. I have found that the Delas wines are easy to underestimate when young; a year or so of bottle aging almost inevitably brings more finesse as well as depth so I would be hesitant to open the 2006s when they hit the U. S. market. This is especially true for the 2006s that I tasted in bottle this year. Grange notes that "this is the case for 2006 in general but especially for Hermitage, which is by far the richest appellation of the north, a huge leap above the others. " Grange told me that he would absolutely avoid opening the 2005s, "as they are really just a set of components that need a lot of time to become wine. " He also told me that he thinks that 2007 in the south is the best vintage he's ever seen. "When we saw and tasted the fruit, we wanted to buy everything. " He is particularly fond of Condrieu in 2007, saying that "it's an exceptional vintage, especially for drinking young, with great richness and power. " Delas chose not to release a Cote-Rotie La Landonne from the 2007 vintage "because it just wasn't good enough to risk our clients' confidence," Grange told me. (Maisons Marques & Domaines, Oakland, CA) Also recommended: 2007 Cotes du Rhone Saint-Esprit (87).

Winemaker Jacques Grange told me that while the 2006s will provide early-drinking pleasur and are balanced to age, they won't achieve the depth or complexity of his 2005s. This was borne out in my tasting, where the more serious 2005s displayed impressive power and structure while the 2006s were more straightforward and fruity. Grange, a Burgundy native who studied enology at Dijon, asserted again that his goal is to produce wines that emphasize finesse over power, telling me that "people forget that the best wines of the north have always been prized for their balance and complexity more than for their mass."