2022 Cote Rotie La Landonne
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The 2022 Côte Rôtie La Landonne is a much more singular wine and just screams La Landonne with its smoky, meaty profile. Darker black fruits, graphite, crushed stone, leather, and woodsmoke all emerge from the glass, and it's medium to full-bodied, has a pure, layered, elegant mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's very much in the style of the vintage and will benefit from just a few years of bottle age and cruise for two decades. Drink 2026-2046. Founded in 1835, Delas Frères is unquestionably one of the historic houses of the Northern Rhône and remains a major presence today, with 30 hectares of estate vineyards spread across Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, and Saint Joseph. The estate owns 10 hectares on the Hermitage hill, 18 hectares in Crozes-Hermitage, and 2 hectares in Saint Joseph. In Hermitage, Delas produces two flagship reds: Les Bessards, sourced exclusively from the granite soils of the Bessards lieu-dit, and Domaine des Tourettes, which is a blend of parcels including L'Hermite and Les Grandes Vignes. In addition, they created a new cuvée in 2015, Ligne de Crête Les Grandes Vignes, which comes from a specific selection of vines in the Grandes Vignes lieu-dit and is only produced in top vintages. The white Domaine des Tourettes Blanc comes primarily from Marsanne from the southern portion of Bessards and Les Grandes Vignes, which is unique as this is largely Syrah territory. In Côte Rôtie, La Landonne comes from what is unquestionably one of the greatest vineyards and is from very old vines, while Seigneur de Maugiron is a blend from both the Côte Blonde and Côte Brune sections of the appellation. The Sainte-Épine cuvée in Saint Joseph comes from vines just north of Tournon and is released only in top vintages. In 2020, Delas completed a new gravity-fed winery in Tain-l'Hermitage designed by architect Carl Fredrik Svenstedt. Since 1997, winemaker Jacques Grange has overseen production. A graduate of the University of Dijon and formerly with Michel Chapoutier, Grange has played a key role in elevating quality at Delas, and they're certainly firing on all cylinders today.
Critic scores
Average Score
Alistair Cooper MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Notes of licorice, cedar and smoke preface the 2022 Cote Rotie La Landonne, a slightly austere, introverted Côte-Rôtie that is medium to full-bodied, dense and concentrated, with a linear texture framed by a fresh, fleshy mid-palate and bright acids. It concludes with a firm, oaky, spicy finish. The underlying character of the soil is present but restrained, leaning toward a gently woody style that somewhat mutes its natural expression. Crafted by Jacques Grange and his team, this wine has the potential to age gracefully. It would benefit from additional time in the cellar to fully express itself.
The 2022 Côte-Rôtie La Landonne bursts with black cherry, rose petal, crushed rock and black pepper notes, further laced with hints of licorice and graphite. Medium- to full-bodied, the 2022 balances power with flawless elegance. Ripe tannins frame its complex palate, leading to a long, expansive finish. This is a compelling La Landonne of pedigree and class.
Cask sample. Tasted blind. Quite shy aromatically, some dark fruits and cedar wood. The palate shows good acidity, ripe fruits and a creamy mid palate, the oak is forward and present yet will integrate nicely with time. There is nice energy here beneath a generous core of fruit. (AC)