Delas Freres Saint-Joseph "Sainte-Epine" 2013
(Northern Rhone, France) - [WS 94] [RP 93] [VM 93] [ JS 93]

About this wine:
The vineyard stretches from Chavanay in the north, to Guilherand in the south, over about fifty kilome­ters along the right bank of the Rhône : it covers 23 "communes" in the Ardèche, and 3 in the Loire.
The soils are light and stony, with schist and gneiss over a granite base.
The climate is moderately continen­tal, with hot and dry summers, and regular rainfalls the rest of the year.

Exposure : south and south-east.
History : the wines were reputed in the 16th century for their delicacy, and were drunk at the table of the kings of France. It was the Jesuits (a monk community) of Tournon who gave the area its current name, in the 17th cen­tury. Between 1956 and 1969, this sec­tion of what used to be called Côtes du Rhône was re-arranged under the appellation Saint-Joseph.
Production area : 1,005 hectares (2,482 acres), for an annual crop of 36,000 hectoliters (400,000 cases). Authorized maximum yield is 40 hec­toliters/hectare (2,3 US tons/acre).

Winemaking
The "Sainte-Epine" grapes are harves­ted by hand, at optimum ripeness. Fermentation takes place in traditio­nal, open-topped concrete tanks, after 3 days pre-fermentary skin contact at cool temperatures. Maceration conti­nues at controlled temperatures of 82°F to 86°F (28° to 30°C). Daily cap pushing down and pumping over are carried out for about 10 days, with a total maceration per­iod of up to 20 days. After devatting and pressing, malolactic fermentation is carried out in oak barrels.

Tasting Notes

The wine has a deep ruby colour with purple tinges. Its nose shows aromas of blackberries and spices, lifted by some mineral and gently wooded notes. Well concentrated, this has pure fla­vours that come to the palate in suc­cessive layers of varying aromas, all of equal intensity.