Delas Frères, Rhone Valley
Born in 1835, Delas Frères is an essential name of the Rhone Valley. After an initial phase that was not very favorable, an important phase of rebirth followed thanks to the work carried out by Michel Delas, the third generation of the Delas family, around 1966, who gained an excellent reputation in the entire region which determined a phase of expansion of the vineyards. In 1977 the winery merged into a company together with Deutz, one of the most important Champagne houses. Twenty years later, both were absorbed by the Roederer group which helped to keep the Delas Frères name high and perpetuate its success.
The fame of Delas Frères was further consolidated under the guidance of Fabrice Rosset, who summoned Jacques Grange to take care of the technical direction of the vineyard and the production of wines, with which the qualitative potential of this Rhodanese reality was given new life, thanks to the contribution of significant innovations and to the vision of Jacques who made his own the philosophy of valorization of the single terroirs that characterizes Delas Frères. Hence the decision to adopt dedicated cultivation practices for each plot, to replace the large steel tanks with small concrete tanks to allow a separate terroir by terroir vinification, to buy barrels for aging only from trusted coopers so that the scents of oak never overwhelmed the characteristics of the wine, and all the attention paid to the transport phases - which take place solely by gravity - and to oxygenation to leave intact the diversity and unique character of each soil and each microclimate.
Located in the south-eastern part of France, the Rhone Valley is one of the most significant wine-growing areas, the extension of which follows the course of the Rhone, from Lyon to the delta of the river that flows into the Mediterranean. The territory is very vast and is characterized by a notable variety of soils and mesoclimate. The northern and southern areas of the valley are clearly distinguished, given the absence of vineyards between them for about 40 kilometers. The northern part is smaller but more marked by quality, mainly characterized by the presence of granite hills and an overall continental climate. From it come great white wines made from Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne grapes, but above all great red wines made from Syrah grapes. It includes highly reputed areas such as Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie. The southern part of the valley, on the other hand, is more prolific and less prestigious but contains the famous appellation Châteauneuf-du-pape.