| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Rhône > Northern Rhône > Hermitage |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Delas Frères
The luxury cuvee, the inky/blue/purple-hued 2003 Hermitage Les Bessards (4,200 bottles; 13.6% alcohol), exhibits a huge perfume of spring flowers, blueberries, blackberries, licorice, and scorched earth. With superb richness, magnificent intensity, and a full-bodied, tannic finish, it will benefit from 5-10 years of cellaring, and should age for 30+ years.
The star of the lineup was the awesome 2003 Hermitage Les Bessards. Dense, pure and still gorgeously fresh, with blackcurrants, licorice, roasted meat and massive minerality, this full-bodied, layered and concentrated Hermitage is the real deal. Count yourself lucky if you have a few of these tucked into your cellar. It's still an infant and will have two decades or more of longevity.
This was a brilliant showing from Delas, and across the board the wines have superb fruit and texture, with mostly youthful profiles.
Tremendous depth of fruit right from the start, with layers of freshly crushed blackberry, fig paste and currant confiture, all carried by seamless, fine-grained tannins while truffle and cocoa notes fill out the background. Enthralling finish is stretched out by underlying minerality and exotic spice notes, but still remains firmly planted in its [i]terroir[n]. Drink now through 2030. 350 cases made.
The limited production cuvee of 2003 Hermitage Les Bessards reveals an inky/ruby/purple hue along with a smoky, creme de cassis, and scorched earth-scented nose. Notions of charcoal also emerge as the wine sits in the glass. Full-bodied, with marvelous intensity, purity, and density of flavor, this fabulous red possesses the vintage’s sweetness (from high glycerin) and “only” 13.6% alcohol. Firm tannin indicates 5-8 years of bottle age is required. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2025+
