2022 Doyenne

Consistency, quality and value are three things readers can always depend on from DeLille Cellars. While the winemaking team of Jason Gorski and Nick Bernstein turns out what can seem like a dizzying number of wines each vintage, they bring a truly artisanal feel to each bottling. From top to bottom, a combination of top-tier sources and transparency of variety and vintage makes this a portfolio worth revisiting year after year. In 2021, they may have reached an all-time high. The 2021 Cabernets from Delille really struck a chord with me, possessing amazing depth and concentration married to classic tannic profiles—this includes their Red Mountain bottlings, which are typically a hard pill to swallow in their youth. What’s more, at the lower end, it’s hard to imagine a better bang for your buck than the D2, a blend of 58% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. A case of D2 in the cellar will provide over a decade of fine drinking.

One thing I adore about the house style is their willingness to let Merlot shine in these blends. However, readers should keep in mind that while 2021 is a fantastic vintage for DeLille, the typical production quantities of each wine were reduced due to small berry sizes and thick skins. But with that said, we have a higher-production year to look forward to with 2022. If the 2022 D2 is any indication, they’ll be worth waiting for.