2016 Hermitage Les Bessards

Slightly deeper colored, the 2016 Hermitage Les Bessards is a deeper, richer wine that still plays in the more elegant, charming, forward style of the vintage. Beautiful notes of black currants, burning embers, new saddle leather, and graphite are just some of the nuances here, and this beauty hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, ripe, supple tannins, and a great finish. Give this balanced, layered, and seamless Hermitage 2-4 years of bottle age and enjoy over the following two decades. Owned by the Louis Roederer/Deutz Champagne firm, Delas Frères is another largely negotiate estate that is fashioning brilliant wines from throughout the Rhône Valley. The incredible quality has been led by Burgundian Jacques Grange, who joined Delas Frères in 1997, and he’s assisted by the talented Claire Darnaud. The 2015s, reviewed last year, are some of the finest wines ever from this estate (same league as the 2009s and 2010s). They’ve done a fine job in 2016, with the wines showing more elegant characters, missing the density or structure of a top year, yet offering balanced, very drinkable profiles. The 2017s should surpass the 2016s, but also have upfront charming characters. It’s worth noting that this estate has seen a progression in style since 2005, where the wines were more extracted and oaky, to the 2016s and 2017s today, which could be seen as more mid-weight and elegant.

Like I pointed out last year, the 2016 Hermitage Les Bessards lacks some of the tannic richness and concentration that normally characterizes this wine. It's medium to full-bodied, with charming raspberry fruit notes, a dusting of crushed stone and soft, elegant tannins on the long finish. It's almost approachable already, with another 15 years of life ahead of it.

Youthful purple. An expansive, smoke- and spice-tinged bouquet evokes fresh dark fruits, olive and exotic spices, and olive and potpourri nuances come up slowly. This one is showing all the Syrah food groups. Sappy and sharply focused on the palate, offering concentrated yet lively black and blue fruit, violet candy and spicecake flavors that spread out and become sweeter on the back half. Powerful yet graceful in style, finishing with superb energy and harmonious tannins that meld smoothly with the intense dark fruit.