Delas Frères

The story of Delas began with a different wine merchant. The now-defunct Maison Junique, based in Tournon, was purchased in 1835 by Charles Audibert and Philippe Delas, who renamed it Audibert & Delas. In 1924, Henri and Florentin Delas took over the company, which they rechristened Delas Frères. More recently, in 1997 the company was bought by the Champagne Louis Roederer group. Since then, every part of the business has been strengthened – winemaking team, estate, winery – to reclaim its place as one of the premier Rhône negociant houses. On top of their negociant business, they own 10ha in Hermitage, 2ha of Saint-Joseph and 18ha in Crozes-Hermitage, which since 2017 is all farmed organically (without certification). Arguably Hermitage is its strongest appellation, with two single-vineyard expressions: a brooding Les Bessards; and Ligne de Crête, an elegant expression of lieu-dit Les Grandes Vignes, the highest point of the hill.