Delas Hermitage Les Bessards 2007

"Saturated ruby. Alluringly perfumed bouquet of raspberry, mulberry, five-spice powder, violet and smoky minerals. Broad, palate-staining red berry flavors give way to darker fruits and are complicated by notes of candied flowers and baking spices. The finish is sweet, focused and very persistent. Already complex but balanced to reward at least another five to seven years of patience, and probably more.
Range: 92-95"

95 Points

International Wine Cellar

"A dark, smoldering style, exhibiting cocoa powder and braised fig notes up front, followed by additional espresso, mulled currant, melted licorice and graphite notes that push through on the muscular finish. Latent minerality keeps it all together. Drink now through 2018. 830 cases made."

93 Points

Wine Spectator

"The 2007 Hermitage Les Bessards is more fruit-forward, offering notes of concentrated black cherry and cassis fruit intermixed with licorice, truffle, earth, and pain grille characteristics. Deep, rich, softer, and more fruit-forward in a seductive, opulent style, this beauty should have 20-25 years of longevity.
Range: 91-92"

93 Points

The Wine Advocate

"Leathery and woody is the first impression you'll get, but the palate excels with grippy warmth, a firm tannic structure and dark, plummy flavors that bring black olive, sous bois and sauvage flavors that are true to Rhône Syrah. Tasted by a three-person panel, the wine was unanimously well liked, with one reviewer finding it more hard and "clacky" than the others. "

91 Points

Wine Enthusiast