Wine Advisor
Delas, Cote Rotie La Landonne 2003
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Jeb Dunnuck
I liked a bottle of this more last year and found it more fresh and lively; nevertheless, the 2003 Cote Rotie la Landonne was still beautiful on this occasion and gave up lots of mulled fruits, chocolate, licorice and dried herbs. Full-bodied, nicely concentrated and structured, it has a savory edge to it aromatics and tannin profile that makes me think it's best consumed over the coming decade.
Reviewed by: Jeb Dunnuck
Starting with the Cote Roties, the 2003 Cote Rotie La Landonne offers up a spectacular bouquet of sweet and sour cherries, cured meats, toasted spice and smoked earth. Medium to full-bodied, rich and textured, with awesome mid-palate depth and a clean finish, it’s a rock star effort to drink over the coming decade or more. This was a brilliant showing from Delas, and across the board the wines have superb fruit and texture, with mostly youthful profiles.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The luxury cuvee of 2003 Cote Rotie La Landonne (1,800 bottles produced) boasts a dense purple hue as well as a classic bouquet of bacon fat, graphite, plums, figs, blueberries, and black currants. Revealing amazing concentration, elegance, and precision, interesting flavors of raspberries and crushed rocks, and just under 14% alcohol, this 100% new oak-aged 2003 will drink well between 2010-2025. Importer: Maison Marques et Domaines, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 587-2000
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The blockbuster 2003 Cote Rotie La Landonne (a 2,700-bottle cuvee of 100% Syrah) is a wine for the ages. Its dense purple hue is followed by gorgeous aromas of graphite, scorched earth, bacon fat, blackberries, blueberries, figs, and espresso roast. Deep, full-bodied, tannic, and backward, it will benefit from 4-6 years of bottle age, and should last for two decades. Importer: Maison Marques et Domaines, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 587-2000
About the Producer
The famous Drass Frère wine company was founded in 1835. Since 1996, the spirit and soul that contributed to the reputation of quality wines has been restored. At present, the Dras brothers have a total of 30 hectares of vineyards, 10 of which are in the Emmettage-Hermitage appellation, 2 in Saint-Joseph and the remaining 18 in Croze-Hermitage. The steep granite hillsides provide favourable growing conditions for the vineyards of the Hermitage appellation, which produces the best quality wines. The grapes are hand-harvested and the fruit is intact and not prone to premature crushing, and in 1996 the estate was renovated by replacing all the old stainless steel fermentation vats with 85 litre concrete vats, and the 2,500 litre old oak barrels were replaced by 600 Burgundy oak barrels. The renovation of the equipment has allowed the winery to separate the fermentation of different batches of grapes, set the fermentation temperature according to the needs of the different varieties, and to monitor them in a targeted manner. The winery uses the gravity artesian method in the vinification process, where the fruit is crushed and poured by gravity into the fermentation vats. After fermentation and pressing, the wine is decanted into oak barrels where malolactic fermentation takes place. The main grape variety is Syrah, but the estate also produces some white wines, mainly made from Marsanne and Viognier. The wines of the Delas Brothers include Domaine des Tourettes, Les Bessards, Seigneur de Maugiron and Francois de Tournon. Francois de Tournon, among others.
