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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.9 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 37 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by beatles on 7/10/2023 & rated 93 points: Served vis-a-vis Le Pavillon, this certainly comes out on top. Drinking a point with a core of roasted caramel, tobacco, olives, bacin dark fruit; Les Bessards speaks in a manly voice in spire of the lighter vintage.
#Ib&Co#Kandestederne (848 views) | | | Tasted by Tony Molester on 6/11/2023: Single piece cork, 10% saturation, no sign of seepage.
Excellent fill level, sieving recommended.
Decanted for 3h tasted over 90min.
Smoke, allspice, anise on the nose.
Palate is light and harmonious. Vivid acidity, recalls burgundy.
Good length, very moreish.
Drink now or hold until 2033.
13.5% abv (400 views) | | | Tasted by Axone on 6/19/2022 & rated 95 points: Bouteille parfaite dès l'ouverture.
Pas d'ostentation mais un équilibre impeccable qui appelle à se resservir très vite. (965 views) | | | Tasted by rocknroller on 1/23/2022 flawed bottle: Monthly Tasting Group: Northern Rhone and a Couple CdP's (A - Side Public House, St. Paul, MN): Second of two bottles, both consistent. Faded pale light medium orange-red color with soy and caramelized notes. Similar to previous bottles. Looks like a bunch of heat damaged bottles dumped on us. Unfortunate and irritating. (1588 views) | | | Tasted by acyso on 2/20/2021 flawed bottle: Saturday blinds (Chicago, IL): Served double blind. Initially, I thought this was like a 40-50 year-old wine, given the bricking and the soy/caramel notes on the nose. Nope, turns out this was probably just heat-damaged. (2706 views) | | | Tasted by dnnk88 on 7/3/2020 & rated 93 points: Post CB Long Night @ CH & KC's: Drank from magnum - took some time to open up but was worthwhile. This was much better than my last try in 750ml format. Good stuff! (1689 views) | | | Tasted by 1961Vintage on 2/12/2020 & rated 90 points: Subtleties and complexity still exist but it appears that this is now slightly past peak. (1731 views) | | | Tasted by 1961Vintage on 11/9/2019 & rated 94 points: Matured extremely well and drinking fabulously. Enjoy! (1426 views) | | | Tasted by dnnk88 on 9/20/2019 & rated 89 points: Rhône blind tasting night: Bottle 3 - from magnum: Nose of berries, red fruits, cola, herbs, spices. Tasted cassis, blueberries. Some lively acidity and sours. The structure is there, with a nice warm finish. However, short on complexity. Still edgy and tannic; needs airing. Probably the least popular tonight. Hold (1460 views) | | | Tasted by rocknroller on 3/18/2018 flawed bottle: Rhones and More at Jimmy's (Jimmy's Place, Mpls): Deanted for an hour. Just not right, very light bodied, a medium red-orange color. faded fruit, feels very advanced. I hope this is not what these have become. I've got another to find out, and I probably won't wait too long. (2882 views) | | | Tasted by Bigcat29 on 7/23/2016 & rated 93 points: Take time to let open. At least an hour in the glass then sit back and enjoy. (3029 views) | | | Tasted by SexyEpicurean on 12/30/2015 & rated 85 points: Heartbreaking experience having aged this so long remembering how promising it seemed in its youth. I was expecting something completely different. Very light in body, structure, fruit, shockingly light for Hermitage. Just lacked any kind of sense of place and yes, that oak note is kind of a turn-off. Just a weird bottle from a producer who has always delivered for me in the past. Such a let down. (3350 views) | | | Tasted by candyman on 5/30/2015: penetrating delicious (3599 views) | | | Tasted by Sennma on 4/20/2015 & rated 82 points: This is dominated by oak, not sure that it will ever integrate or recede. (3646 views) | | | Tasted by acyso on 4/19/2015 & rated 80 points: Salil does Chicago; 4/16/2015-4/19/2015 (Chicago, IL): The only miss on the table tonight. At first this was showing a moderate, but already slightly annoying, amount of oak. Fair enough, we popped and poured it. Maybe it'd get better. There was a bit of red fruit on the palate initially as well that I enjoyed. With air though, this seemed to totally fall apart, ending with a hollow palate that was marred by a big splotch of oak. (3190 views) | | | Tasted by salil on 4/19/2015 & rated 75 points: Rieslings, Rhones, Richebourg, and more at The Bristol (The Bristol, Chicago): Pretty much what I usually expect from Delas - good raw material underneath with plenty of bright red fruit at the core and nice acidity, but ruined by far too much oak that just overwhelms the fruit. With air the woodiness only gets worse, and it gets increasingly unpleasant. Can't someone just give his parcel of Bessards to Bernard Faurie? (4127 views) | | | Tasted by moveablesirkus on 4/17/2015: Silky, airy, perfect acid. Classic n. Rhone notes . So good and drink up. (1819 views) | | | Tasted by lirvingham on 1/30/2015 & rated 95 points: Elegant although there is some power behind this syrah. My first Bessards, very enjoyable. (1360 views) | | | Tasted by StewartWent on 11/10/2014 & rated 91 points: Elegant and classy but I think it was fair of me to expect this. Ripe but some obvious pepper and herbs coming through. Some aniseed too. Excellent balance and presence. Can't see it getting much better. (1655 views) | | | Tasted by kidsmurf2000 on 1/20/2013 & rated 93 points: Incredible bouquet of blackberry and summer pudding. (3675 views) | | | Tasted by gtonn on 11/21/2012 & rated 94 points: An elegant wine. Tart cherries with liqourice and heavier notes of black pepper. Finish is waning but still balanced and harmonious. (3682 views) | | | Tasted by grafstrb on 11/10/2012: Sheffield does Northern Rhone (Wig & Pen (Sheffield, UK)): -- popped and poured --
-- tasted a single pour non-blind over approx. 30 min. --
NOSE: “lighter” Nose than the ’04 Delas Cote Rotie, which was tasted alongside; strong dill scent; smells like the fruit and vegetable section of a grocery store, with aromas of warm red berries intermixed.
BODY: warm garnet color; medium bodied.
TASTE: smoked bacon; smoky; oak; very smoky; juicy; moderate-to-strong acidity; moderately drying tannin; tastes at least twice as old as it actually is; this bears a strong resemblance to a Rhone-variety wine from Paso Robles; very good, but also disconcertingly advanced. I preferred the aforementioned Cote Rotie to this wine. (4562 views) | | | Tasted by pilot360 on 3/24/2012 & rated 94 points: Ready to drink, similar to previous note and I would highly recommend. (4207 views) | | | Tasted by pilot360 on 1/3/2012 & rated 95 points: This is a spectacular wine - rich nose of toasted pecan, hazelnut and rich caramelized brown sugar, pralines, with parsley and thyme to provide a full l, very enjoyable nose. Tart cranberries and a light bodied finish. Super elegant and a class act. (4328 views) | | | Tasted by joraesque on 12/23/2011 & rated 90 points: Best within 35-50 minutes upon opening. Do not decant! Excellent nose of iron, persistent minerality on the palate, and lengthy finish. Overall, a very old school/Old World Syrah: smooth and introverted. Drink soon. 90+ (2827 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Josh Raynolds
Vinous, January/February 2006, IWC Issue #124
(Delas Freres Hermitage Les Bessards) Subscribe to see review text. |  By Gary Vaynerchuk
Wine Library TV, Big Boy Wines on The Thunder Show, Episode #398 (1/31/2008)
(Delas Hermitage Bessards) #1; COLOR-dark; NOSE-gorgeous; beautiful olive oil; gorgeous plum; hazel nut; caramel & butterscotch w/ whipped cream; beautiful berries (from cassis to raspberries); so much complexity; TASTE-black pepper; razor sharp dark intense red berry tannins on the back-end; explosive & rich; a Sir Mix-a-Lot of vanilla/raspberry/strawberry; gorgeous, completely coats my palate; this wine is Tremendous; an unparalleled sour cherry component; very special wine; RP-94; GV-95+ 95+ points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and Wine Library TV. (manage subscription channels) |
| Delas Frères Producer Website - Read more about Delas Feres Hermitage - Discover Cote Rotie from Delas Feres
U.S. Importer (Addt'l Info)
Since 1996, the firm of Delas Frères has fully retrieved the glory and spirit that made its fame. A highly motivated team is proud to help give a new lease of life to this great Rhône Valley wine merchant firm, founded in 1835. Under the guidance of its current management, numerous investments have been made at the winery at Saint-Jean-de-Muzols, near Tournon-sur-Rhône. A specially designed fermentation hall for the making of red wines, and a thorough rebuilding of the ageing cellar are amongst the key elements of the new quality charter from Delas Frères. This can be summed up in one sentence : place man and wine at the centre of the stage, together with terroir.Syrah Varietal article (Wikipedia) | (Wines Northwest)
Note that some producers in the Northern Rhone distinguish between simply Syrah and "Serine", the latter described as ‘an ancient clone of Syrah, the berries of which are more oval-shaped and less deeply pigmented than Syrah’ by producer Tardieu-Laurent. Les Bessards outlineFrance Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comRhône Guide to the wines, wineries and appellations in the Rhone Valley The Rhône Valley/Le Vins de la Vallée du Rhône (Comité Interprofession des vins AOC Côtes et vallée du Rhône)
### Wine Scholar Guild's Rhône valley vintage charts & ratings ###Northern Rhône Guide to the wines and appellations of the Northern Rhone Valley -
The Rhône Valley/Le Vins de la Vallée du Rhône (Comité Interprofession des vins AOC Côtes et vallée du Rhône)
Regional History:
Phocaean Greeks established viticulture in the Rhone as far back as 600 BC, but until the 14th century the wines were not seen outside the region. The establishment of the Avignonese Papacy (1305-1377) brought fame to the region's wine-so much so that their Burgundian neighbors to the north banned wines from the Rhone in 1446, a measure that effectively cut off trade with England and other Northern European markets for over 200 years. Stretching southward from Lyon to just south of Avignon, the Rhone produces a wide variety of wines, with the appellations north of Valence producing the least (in volume), and the towns south of Montelimar producing prodigious amounts. As in other regions, the most interesting wines come from small farms. Saint-Joseph, in the northern Rhone, extends for some distance between Condrieu in the north to Saint-Peray in the south. The reds are made from Syrah and the rare whites from Marsanne and Roussanne, and Viognier.
### 2017 vintage ###
"The first red wines already tasted in the Northern Rhône promise a beautiful vintage, with a quality close to the 2015 or even the 2009 vintage" - NEWRHÔNE MILLESIMESHermitage Guide to Hermitage wine Guide to Cote Rotie - Read about the Northern Rhone Valley
• The appellation stretches over 3 communes in the Drôme "département" : Tain-l'Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage and Larnage.
• The soils are a combination of granite with alluvial quaternary delta deposits, and, on the eastern side, Pliocene clay. This diversity explains the numerous different names given to vineyard plots within the appellation : Bessards, Greffieux, Méal, Roucoule, Beaumes, etc.
• The meso-climate provides shelter from the north winds, where the majority of the slopes is well exposed, facing south.
•The vineyards area adds up to 134 hectares/331 acres, with an annual production of 3,635 hectoliters. Authorized maximum yield is 40 hectoliters/hectare (2.3 US tons/acres).
• Grape varieties : Syrah (an addition of up to 15% of Marsanne or Roussanne is allowed).
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