Delas : Seigneur de Maugiron 2022

The 2022 Cote Rotie Seigneur de Maugiron, entirely destemmed and matured for 16 months in barrel (25% new), presents an oaky, smoky bouquet with notes of wild dark berries, cedar and gentian. Medium to full-bodied, dense and concentrated, it's firm and framed by structured tannins, culminating in a long, spicy and oaky finish. While well crafted, the oak influence overshadows the wine’s full expression.

Dense and sleek, with power behind the bitter cherry, dusty earth, black pepper, anise and singed bacon fat flavors, grounded by a solid spine of graphite and mineral energy. Cedar toast and wood spice details chime in, but not too assertively. Power builds for the savory, mouthwatering, sanguine finish, which stretches out. Drink now through 2033. 800 cases made, 50 cases imported.

Deep nose of elderberries, wild blackberries, allspice and orange peel. Very powerful thanks to the abundant healthy tannins that feel finer the farther back the wine flows over your palate. Full-bodied, but with an excellent freshness, the tannins building to an imposing crescendo at the plush finish. Mainly from the Cote Brune section of this appellation. A pure syrah matured exclusively in Burgundian oak barrels, of which almost a third were new. Best from 2027.

Cask sample. Tasted blind. Appealing nose of aged violets, grilled meat and five spice. The palate shows attractive tension beneath rounded, suave tannins; a savoury note mingles with ripe dark fruits. Savoury and sweet at the same time. (AC)

Inky dark purple core and hue. Pure, stony and intense with floral violet notes, blackberry, black cherry, darker fruit with smoked meat, black pepper and sweet apricot notes. Dense and vigorous palate with a good level of acidity paired with the sweet and smoky dark fruit, a mild hint of oak underneath, layered and spicy with a long and muscular aftertaste.