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The 2019 Rhone vintage is being hailed as a fantastic vintage across the entire valley. Producers in the South compare it to the incredible 2016 vintage, while those in the North draw comparisons to their powerful 2015s. An extremely rare meteorological phenomenon occurred in 2019, where both the Northern and Southern Rhone Valley experienced optimal growing conditions. However, the vintage was not without its difficulties. Crozes-Hermitage experienced decimating hail in the North and some parts of the South fell to drought. While in some cases this has contributed to a lower yield, quality is immaculate, producing elegant, long-lived and delightful wines.
All wines below are available now at our special offer prices for the next 7 days only. To place your order, simply click on the links below or return the attached form, by email, by fax on 03 9419 6970 or call us on 03 9419 6990.
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Delas Freres
Delas Freres is a winery of tradition and renewal. Founded 160 years ago in the heart of the northern Côtes du Rhône, Delas wines are crafted by a panel of experts headed by winemaker Jacques Grange. Together, the team makes wines that have been heralded for their intensity of flavour and excellent value. Delas maintains a philosophy of preserving the authentic characteristics of each appellation through separate vinification of the fruit from each vineyard.
Distributor Notes
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2019 Crozes-Hermitage 'Domaine des Grands Chemins'
Usually $74 - Special Offer $64
With yields cut 40% by hail, the 2019 Crozes Hermitage Domaine des Grands Chemins is a concentrated, rich and velvety effort that should prove reasonably long-lived. Purple raspberries, black olives and blackberries mingle easily on the nose, while the palate is full-bodied and finishes with terrific length. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes.
92+ Points
Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate
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2019 Crozes-Hermitage 'LeClos'
Usually $109 - Special Offer $99
The 2019 Crozes Hermitage le Clos managed to escape hail damage but remains an intense, concentrated effort. Hints of violets and garrigue appear on the nose alongside cassis and black cherries, while the full-bodied palate is supple, leading into a long, licorice-tinged finish. Drink it over the next decade or so. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes.
93 Points
Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate
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2019 Saint-Joseph 'Francois de Tournon'
Usually $84 - Special Offer $79
Powerfully scented aromas of fresh black/blue fruits, potpourri, licorice and smoked meat show excellent clarity and vibrant mineral lift. Concentrated boysenberry, cassis and violet pastille flavors are joined by a salty olive note that sneaks in as the wine opens up. Finishes smooth, focused and very long, with broad, fleshy tannins, a hint of smokiness and lingering florality.
92-94 Points
Josh Raynolds, vinous.com
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2019 Saint-Joseph 'St. Epine'
Usually $134 - Special Offer $124
A highly fragrant bouquet evokes ripe, mineral-accented black/blue fruits, Moroccan spices, olive and candied flowers, along with a smoky mineral element that builds as the wine opens up. Juicy, energetic and focused on the palate, offering appealingly sweet boysenberry, cherry preserve and violet pastille flavors that deepen steadily through the midpalate. The floral note resonates on the impressively long finish, which features well-knit tannins and a smoky mineral quality.
93-95 Points
Josh Raynolds, vinous.com
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2019 Hermitage 'Les Bessards'
Usually $334 - Special Offer $314
Ripe, spice-accented dark berry liqueur, candied violet, incense and licorice scents, along with hints of olive paste and smoky, exotic spices. Palate-staining boysenberry, cherry liqueur, floral pastille and fruitcake flavors show impressive depth and an undercurrent of smoky minerality. Expands steadily with air and finishes extremely long and minerally, with youthfully chewy tannins and outstanding, floral-driven persistence.
95-97 Points
Josh Raynolds, vinous.com
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2017 Hermitage 'Les Grandes Vignes'
Usually $379- Special Offer $359
The 2017 Hermitage Ligne de Crete Les Grandes Vignes is a forceful, muscular brute. Blueberries and blackberries dominate the nose, allowing just hints of the wine's stony underpinning and oak aging to seep through. Full-bodied and monochromatic, it demands a good 4-5 years in the cellar. In any event, readers will want to put it away to allow some of the copious tannins to resolve. The long, complex finish of mocha, olives and roasted meat suggests good things lie ahead for the patient.
97 Points
Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate
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2019 Hermitage 'Les Grandes Vignes'
Usually $389- Special Offer $369
Powerful, highly perfumed aromas of black/blue fruit liqueur, licorice, olive and potpourri are complemented by an exotic suggestion of incense. Stains the palate with intense boysenberry, cherry, cassis and spicecake flavors that deepen steadily through the midpalate. Shows a suave blend of power and delicacy and betrays no rough edges. Youthfully chewy tannins add shape to an extremely long, mineral-driven finish that delivers outstanding clarity and floral thrust.
96-98 Points
Josh Raynolds, vinous.com
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Domaine Saint-Damien
Domaine Saint-Damien has been producing some of the region’s most elegant wines for years, but for some reason they rarely get the attention they deserve.
Josh Raynolds, vinous.com
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2019 Gigondas V.V
Usually $54 - Special Offer $49
Moving to the 2019s, this is a great vintage for this estate, and all of the wines showed brilliantly. The 2019 Gigondas Vieilles Vignes is its usual 80/20 split of Grenache and Mourvèdre and has awesome dark fruits, ground pepper, licorice, truffle, and earthy mineral-like aromas and flavors. I love its mid-palate, it has elegance as well as power, ripe tannins, and a great finish. I finished my note with “Wow.”
96 Points
Jeb Dunnuck, jebdunnuck.com
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Domaine Guillaume Gilles
This is a producer to watch, and he comes highly recommended by his Cornas elders, especially Thierry Allemand, who told me that Gilles is "one of the best vineyard workers in Cornas and will be one of the best of the appellation before too long. He doesn't mind working hard."
Josh Raynolds, vinous.com
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2019 Cornas
Usually $199 - Special Offer $179
Bright dark red robe; intricate airs circulate on the nose, iodine, salting, red cherry, kummel, cassis, lead pencil – it’s a stimulating debut. The palate eases along with a textured stream of pure, clear small black fruits, runs most clearly and consecutively. This has good style, calm depth, is a serious Cornas full of stimuli, one for the patient thinkers. The length is good, violets on the aftertaste with rocky, iron notes. Expect a discreet, gradual evolution, a gain in expression of its depth. It will stay under wraps a good while. “It’s very serious, concentrated, has a lot of complexity; the juice from the grapes was exceptional,” G Gilles.
4.5/5 Stars
John Livingstone-Learmonth, Drink Rhone
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Domaine la Barroche
Since 2012, there has been a move towards greater finesse in the vinification. This is now one of the best names at Chateauneuf du Pape.
John Livingstone-Learmonth, Drink Rhone
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2019 Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Usually $109 - Special Offer $99
Beautiful nose of black fruit with licorice, spice and a hint of raw meat. So accessible, thanks to the very fine tannins that fill out the generous body exactly. This glides over your palate. So many subtle spicy and meaty nuances at the long, refined finish.
94 Points
Jamessuckling.com
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Domaine Charvin
Thanks to its fermentation, aging in large concrete vats, and the light-hand in winemaking, this is consistently one of the purest and most perfumed expressions of the appellation.
Josh Raynolds, vinous.com
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2019 Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Usually $129 - Special Offer $119
Very vibrant fruits on the nose – underneath follows a slight earthy ashy note (whole bunch?), floral and pepper touches. Juicy smoky fruit with lots of grip – very refined and finely tuned tannins. Already gives lots of pleasure with its pure and vibrant notes, but all the time with a brooding smoke. Well-judged acidity too leads to a long savoury-infused earthy finish.
17.5+/20 Points
Alistair Cooper MW, jancisrobinson.com
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Paul Avril
[Vincent] Avril was trained at wine school in Dijon, as was his father [Paul], and the spectre of Burgundy is strongly in evidence here."We have richness, power and the ability to age in Chateauneuf-plenty of tannins and lots of structure-but the challenge is always to get balance."
Josh Raynolds, vinous.com
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2019 Chateauneuf-du-Pape 'Clos des Papes'
Usually $279 - Special Offer $259
dark red; the nose is deep, closed, gives a note of blackberry jam, prune with steady density, has real inner depth, just a hint of mineral within. The palate summons prolonged forces of red fruits, mulberry, has a lot of intensity, digs in, holds a black fruit firmness from the Mourvèdre, smoky channels, notes of leather, licorice towards the finish. It’s an upstanding wine, very well structured. There’s a liaison with 1990, an upping of the latter’s internal depth. The finish is very thorough. It’s very complete, a classic for game and sauced dishes, is close to ******. “It’s a big Mourvèdre year, shows black fruits, blackberries; 2019 is more fine than 2016, has the same matter, power; it’s more classic Châteauneuf than 2020, but I wouldn’t want it every year,” V Avril.
5/5 Stars
John Livingstone-Learmonth, Drink Rhone
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These wines are available now at our special offer prices for the next 7 days only. To place your order simply click on the links above or return the attached form, by email, by fax on 03 9419 6970 or call us on 03 9419 6990.
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