Today we bring you one of the outstanding producers of the Walla Walla Rocks District. Delmas was born more than a decade ago and has been one of the most impressive startup wineries that I have seen since its inception. Founded by Mary and Steve Robertson, Steve has a background in real estate development and business management and was previously in Napa before planting vines in his ‘SJR Vineyard’ which is set on massive cobblestones. The vineyard is planted to mainly Syrah but also has a small portion of Viognier and Grenache planted as well. Steve hit a home run when he hired Billo Naravane, MW, to serve as his consulting. winemaker.
Delmas first crafted their Oregon and Walla Walla Valley Syrah with the cool 2010 vintage which I had the pleasure to taste as part of a special vertical tasting several years back. More recently I tasted a vertical dating back to their 2013 vintage which was an amazing retrospective.
I adored the new 2019 Delmas Syrah (OB, 96) which is completely different from the 2018 but is every bit as good. The wine has a higher degree of tension with plenty of stony tones. This is a world-class Syrah that is magical to enjoy in its youth. Learn more about these very special wines at https://delmaswines.com Here is my review of the 2019 Delmas Syrah (fall 2021 release).
2019 Delmas Syrah- The 2019 Delmas Syrah is one of the prettiest expression of this wine that I have tasted. This very Burgundian style of Syrah saw 60% new French oak before bottling. The wine shows beautiful red florals with wet stone, Umami, orange blossom. The palate is exceedingly elegant with silky tannins and a light dusting of white pepper and salinity. Guava, pomegranate seed and orange rind flavors combine with wet stone and rose water undertones. This is a beautiful foil to 2018, as this beautiful wine is lithe and full of life even at the two year mark. Drink 2021-2031- 96