My favorite release from this estate is consistently their Les Bessards Hermitage, and their 2019 is no exception. Coming from the western part and pure broken granite soils on the west side of this magical hill, it sports a dense purple hue to go with a brilliant perfume of cassis, graphite, scorched earth, burning embers, spring flowers, and peppery herbs. Incredibly complex, layered, and nuanced, with classic Hermitage characteristics, it still stays firmly planted in the ripe, sunny, sexy vintage. Full-bodied, concentrated, and structured on the palate, it has a wealth of tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. This is pure Hermitage magic that needs to be forgotten for 4-5 years and will evolve for 20-30 years in cold cellars. Hats off to the team at Delas for another incredible wine.

Remarkable tannic finesse is immediately apparent, teamed with great freshness, good acidity and deep concentration.There is a great sense of focus and direction and this has that Bessards salinity and straightness. Sweet fruit flavours combine with shoe polish, juniper, sloe, and damson juice. Incredible finesse and seamless character. 3,900 bottles made. Their oldest parcel of lieu-dit Les Bessards, fermented in concrete, then aged for 12 months in new and one-year-old barrels.

Opaque ruby-red. A highly perfumed and expansive bouquet evokes dark berry and cherry preserves, Indian spices, olive and incense; a smoky mineral nuance emerges as the wine opens up. Fleshy and broad on the palate but surprisingly energetic as well, offering intense, mineral-driven black raspberry, boysenberry, kirsch, allspice and licorice flavors, with a suave touch of candied flowers. Finishes chewy, vibrant and impressively long, with resonating florality and youthfully firm tannins that don't detract from the wine's intense fruit.

Sourced from the oldest plot of Les Bessards in the heart of Hermitage, this limited-production, site-specific Syrah expresses the heat and power of the 2019 vintage with elegance. Massive in structure and richly extracted, it's packed with lip-staining blueberry and cassis flavors. A perfumed lift of violet and lingering notes of smoked tea leaves and vanilla mark the finish. Seductive already, the wine will show best from 2025 to 2040. — Anna Lee C. Iijima

This is loaded with dark and winey plum sauce, blackberry paste and fig compote flavors that glide through over notes of warm earth, sweet tobacco and anise. A subtle singed alder hint infuses the finish, along with a flicker of violet, while the fruit takes an encore. This shows seriously hefty fruit matched with a terrific underpinning of terroir. For the cellar. Best from 2024 through 2039. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 583 cases made, 50 cases imported.

From the heart of the Hermitage hill, this feels sun-soaked and warm, with an earthy sweetness to its dark, licorice-scented fruit. With air it blossoms, the fruit turning fresher, redder and juicier, spurred on by taut acidity and herbal details. All the while, the mineral tones hold the wine firm, as if tethering the fruit to the hill’s granite base. Right now, it handles its oak better than the 2019 Domaine des Tourettes, but feels slightly less multifaceted. Cellar the two together to see which one wins out in the long run.

(93+ points) While the 2019 Hermitage Les Bessards features classic notes of crushed stone and cassis on the nose and is nicely medium to full-bodied on the palate, it doesn't show the impressive richness and texture of either the 2018 or 2020. Black olives and dark berries are borne on a creamy palate, and the finish is silky and licorice tinged. Perhaps it was just at an awkward stage post-bottling, as it did seem to improve dramatically with air. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes.