Professionele reviews
Jancis Robinson (18.50)
100% Syrah. Cask sample.
Tasted blind. Sleek and vibrant primary fruit-led nose. There is a real sense of salinity to the richly textured palate – crushed blackberries and a plush, rounded mouthfeel. Beautifully judged fine tannins support the cool blue-fruit-laden finish. (AC)
Vinous (97)
Inky ruby color. Expansive, smoke- and mineral-accented black and blue fruits, licorice, smoky bacon, mocha, violet and licorice on the highly perfumed nose. Appealingly sweet, mineral-accented cassis, boysenberry, fruitcake, floral pastille and vanilla flavors show superb depth and become spicier with aeration. Shows superb detail and mineral lift on the youthfully tannic, extremely persistent and incisive finish, which features resonating floral and exotic spice notes.
Jeb Dunnuck (95)
The 2019 Hermitage Ligne De Crete Lieu-Dit Les Grandes Vignes comes from the top of Hermitage, in a tiny vineyard of thin, granite soils. It offers a deep purple hue as well as brilliant aromatics of crème de cassis, graphite, chocolate, new saddle leather, and spring flowers. More classic smoky meatiness emerges as it sets in the glass, and it's medium to full-bodied and powerful on the palate, with a concentrated, focused mouthfeel, good acidity, and building tannins. There's nothing out of place and it's not over the top, it’s just pure, classic Hermitage greatness. Hide bottles for 4-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades.
BOW (8.75)
The grapes used to make "Ligne de Crête" are grown in the highest-lying vines that Delas Frères owns and cares for on its own on the Hermitage hillside in the "Les Grandes Vignes" lieu-dit.
Soils :
Rock base of primary geological origins. This is where the layer of soil is at its thinnest and where the Syrah varietal is able to delve the furthest into the AOC's deep substrata.
Climate :
This parcel's altitude and moderately windy climate bring an element of coolness to the vines during hot summers.
Surface area under production : 2ha31
Grape varieties : 100% Syrah
Wine Enthusiast (97)
Whiffs of espresso, ore and charred meat mingle into thunderous flavors of crème de cassis and roasted plums in this wine. A single-site expression of Les Grandes Vignes from a ripe yet fresh vintage, it's a showstopping Syrah marked with a creamy texture and ripe tannins. Hermitage is not known for youthful pleasures but this rare bottling embraces the hedonism of adolescence along with its potential to gain power and complexity far beyond 2050.
