Delas Frères estate spotlight
Maison Delas Frères shows its vineyard philosophy and a harvest in two minutes, with Jacques Grange and Claire Darnaud on the official house channel.
2022 Delas Freres Ventoux Rhone
Northern Rhône house, southern fruit: 80 percent Grenache, 20 percent Syrah, bottled after stainless, ten dollars a bottle.
Delas Frères has worked the Rhône since 1835 and sits in the Louis Roederer group. The 2022 Ventoux is 80 percent Grenache and 20 percent Syrah from Mazan and Goult, six to eight months in steel, now $10 against a $16 SRP.
37.5% off the supplied street price
A Hermitage house at a Ventoux price
Delas is famous for granite Northern Rhône. This bottle is the southern neighbor: Mount Ventoux limestone, Grenache lead, Syrah lift, no oak in the way.
The house
Delas Frères was founded in Tournon in 1835 and joined Champagne Louis Roederer in 1993. Claire Darnaud and Jacques Grange lead the cellar.
The ground
Ventoux sits on the left bank around the limestone massif, sharing climate and grapes with neighboring Côtes-du-Rhône, from Mazan and Goult.
The wine
Grenache fermented in steel with daily pump-over. Syrah sometimes left on stems. Blended after malo, six to eight months in tank, 13.5% ABV.
The buy
$10 a bottle, $60 for six, $120 for twelve with free shipping. The supplied SRP is $16.
What is $10 Ventoux from Delas actually buying?
$10 versus the $16 SRP supplied for this promotion is 37.5 percent off. You are paying for a Northern Rhône name on a southern fruit wine.
At $10 per bottle, the 6-bottle allocation totals $60.
Review Wine-Searcher (opens in a new tab) for exact-vintage listings and Delas Frères (opens in a new tab) for producer context. The $16 SRP is supplied for this promotion. Official importer alcohol is 13.5%.
Slash price per bottle, 37.5 percent under the supplied $16 SRP.
Ruby, berry, and a clean steel line
The house writes deep ruby with garnet, a predominantly berry-fruit bouquet, and the freshness of controlled winemaking.
A warm southern Rhône year that filled Grenache with berry and left Syrah with enough stem-spice to keep the blend from going jammy. Steel, not barrel, holds that freshness.
Deep ruby with garnet. Berry-fruit bouquet from Grenache, with Syrah adding aromatic power without oak perfume.
Fresh rather than heavy. Daily pump-over on Grenache, Syrah sometimes not destemmed, then a stainless blend after malo.
Clean berry finish. Drink now through a few years. Serve near 60 F with stew, grilled meat, or cold cuts.
Steel tanks, not a barrel program
Delas keeps this Ventoux on fruit. The oak story belongs to Hermitage. This wine is tank, blend, bottle.
Fruit: A blend of wines from Mazan and Goult, in the heart of Ventoux, around the limestone outcrop of Mount Ventoux on the left bank of the Rhône.
Cellar: Grenache in stainless with daily pump-over. Syrah sometimes whole-cluster. After malolactic, the wines are blended and held six to eight months in temperature-controlled tanks.
Intent: Official notes pair it with Provençale stews, cold cuts, grilled meats, and wild fowl. Alcohol 13.5%. No oak to hide the berry.
Tournon, 1835, then Roederer
Delas is a Northern Rhône house that still puts its name on a southern bottle when the fruit is honest.
Henri Delas built a négociant house in Tournon-sur-Rhône in 1835, facing Hermitage hill, and spent a century buying fruit from the granite slopes that made the family's name.
In 1993 Champagne Louis Roederer bought Delas Frères. The brief stayed Rhône: Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie, Crozes, and a southern wine that could travel without pretending to be those hills.
Ventoux is that wine. Same house, limestone instead of granite, Grenache instead of Syrah lead, steel instead of barrel. The 2022 is the current bottle of that idea.
Stew in the pot, lamb on the grill
Berry Grenache and stem-spice Syrah want Provençal cooking: slow beef, herbs, and a chop with char.
Two plates. One beef stew. One grilled lamb chop. Both can take the berry and the garrigue.
No long decant. Serve near 60 F in a Rhône bowl. The wine is already open.
Classic beef stew
Nagi's beef stew, browned hard, slow until the sauce is dark. Carrot, thyme, and a bowl that can take Grenache.
Why it works: Slow beef and herbs match the house pairing for Provençale stews without fighting the steel-fresh fruit.
View Recipe for Beef Stew (opens in a new tab)
Grilled lamb chops
Charred lamb chops with rosemary, garlic, and lemon. Fat and smoke for the Syrah, herbs for the garrigue.
Why it works: Lamb is the house's other natural partner, and grill char meets the 20 percent Syrah without needing oak.
View Recipe for Perfectly Grilled Lamb Rib or Loin Chops (opens in a new tab)Put Delas Ventoux on the table tonight
This is the bottle that lets a Hermitage house pour Tuesday night at ten dollars.
Ruby, berry, steel. 60 F, stew or lamb.
Six bottles at $60. Enough for a grill and a leftover stew.
Twelve at $120, ships free. Drink it while the fruit is still loud.
Take the 2022 Ventoux home while a Delas Rhône still costs ten dollars.
