2021 Cornas Chante-Perdrix

I sampled a diverse range of wines guided by winemaker Marco Beckmann, who joined Delas in 2022. Beckmann, previously associated with Paul Jaboulet Ainé, holds a degree in oenology from the Istituto Agrario San Michele all'Adige - Mach Foundation. Jacques Grange, the head winemaker at Delas for the past two decades, also joined for the tasting. Starting with the warmer 2020 and 2022 vintages, a strategic approach to fermentation involved partial stem inclusion, typically not exceeding 15%. Grange explains: “Up until then, we didn't feel the need to add stems, as Syrah provided sufficient tannins. However, in cooler and wetter years like 2021, we destemmed all our grapes to avoid the risk of greenness or dryness from unripe stems. In warm and dry vintages like 2020 or 2022, the small addition of ripe stems can impart a touch of freshness and aromatic complexity that enhances the wines.” Indeed, none of the sampled reds exhibit overt stemminess but rather emphasize purity of fruit and finesse. Notably, while partial new oak maturation persists, there has been a significant reduction compared to previous vintages. When oak is utilized, whether new or old, it's exclusively French, although experiments with Slavonian oak are underway for select white wines. Tasting the wines underscores Delas’ success in the challenging 2021 vintage, particularly with excellent offerings from Condrieu, Cornas and Hermitage. On the other hand, the bottlings from Côte-Rôtie, Crozes-Hermitage and Saint-Joseph are a little less enticing. Notably, in 2021, both the Hermitage Les Bessards and the Hermitage Ligne de Crête Lieu-dit Les Grandes Vignes weren’t produced, with all the fruit contributing to the delightful 2021 Hermitage Domaine des Tourettes. As for the 2022 vintage, the overall quality is high, with promising performances from the Côte-Rôtie La Landonne, Hermitage Les Bessards and Hermitage Ligne de Crête Lieu-dit Les Grandes Vignes.