Saint-Joseph Les Challeys Delas Frères 2001

Lot presentation

Saint-Joseph Les Challeys Delas Frères 2001

The wine

The cuvée Les Challeys is aged for 70% in vats and 30% in oak pièces. The nose is enticing with its fruity aromas (blackcurrant, raspberry) and slight woody notes. Flavoursome, deep and tannic, the palate offers up a loyal expression of its terroir, with great purity of fruit. This wine will pair beautifully with beef, game and some cheeses.

Founded in 1835, Maison Delas Frères is a part of a very exclusive circle of the finest producers in the Rhône Valley in terms of both quality and variety of appellations. The domaine was bought by Champagne Deutz in 1977 and then by Maison Roederer in 1993 but the spirit of the wines remains unchanged and faithful to their terroir. In 1996 Fabrice Rosset (Champagne Deutz) was appointed to manage the domaine and soon realised the great potential of the vineyard. He hired Jacques Grange, a young oenologue who had already proved his worth at some of the finest Rhône domaines. Thanks to him, the quality of wines at Delas has improved hugely and the domaine has invested accordingly: the winery has been entirely refurbished and 7,000 feet of vines have been replanted. It spans over 30 hectares of which 10 are in Hermitage, 18 in Crozes-Hermitage and 2 in Saint-Joseph. Delas Frères is also a negoçiant and offers wines from other appellations, such as Cornas, Côte-Rôtie et Condrieu.