Delas : Le Clos 2017

Like the Grands Chemins, Delas's 2017 Crozes Hermitage Le Clos has improved since last year, now showing charming floral notes alongside hints of black olives and ripe cherries. It's full-bodied, creamy and concentrated yet silky and fine, with hints of mocha building on the finish. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes.

Dark plum and black currant compote flavors are steeped with anise, tobacco and tar notes. Shows a lightly roasted edge but maintains freshness and drive through the finish. Best from 2020 through 2024. 525 cases made, 25 cases imported.

This is a single estate of purchased grapes and has fairly assertive oak with a vibrant, easygoing palate that offers ripe, juicy dark fruit and gently grainy tannins. Drink or hold.

Cask sample. Tasted blind. Sweet spices and baked cherry fruit on the nose. Rich, tarry palate with high but super-fine tannins and a nice jolt of acidic refreshment. The tannins dominate the structure on the finish for now – leave this to settle in for a year or two. (RH)

Tasted from tank. The tannins are well-knit and well-crafted; the oak-aging aromas are still present but highlight the fruit’s indulgent character.

Perfumed and unctuous, this richly textured Syrah is packed to the gills with sun-drenched black cherry and mulberry flavors. Matured for 10 to 14 months in oak, it's a glossy, lavish sip shaded by hints of smoke, nut and licorice. Fresh acidity and polished tannins make it a four-square pick that should maintain peak through 2025.