“DeLille sent two vintages of Grand Ciel for us to taste this year. Both were gorgeous wines, but the 2016 showed us where these wines go…slowly. This five-year-old was wildly dark, a deep violet color with even darker inky shades on the rim. It smells of violets and plums, with plenty of extracted fruit scents, and flavors to match. The texture though, while plainly Red Mountain–big, is suede-like, with a dustiness that hints at a long life in the cellar.” —P.J.C. (300 cases)
“De-Lille’s monopole from Snipes Mountain, a north-facing vineyard set on a gravelly slope, produced a blend that’s slightly floral, the violet scents filling out with air along with a core of dark berry fruit. The texture succulent and satisfying, for carne asada.” —P.J.C. (375 cases)
“Scents of licorice and black fig take on a cinnamon tone in this merlot-dominant blend. Cinnamon scents appear with air, bright, ripe and lifted as it develops in the glass. It offers sleek cherry and warm plum flavors in a succulent combination, a satisfying accompaniment to duck breast.” —P.J.C.
“One variety, one clone, one vineyard is how DeLille describes this wine. A driving force of dark fruit and evergreen savor, it leads with aromas of pint frond and a whiff of menthol, woodsy and fresh. The flavors are dark, the texture massive but with polish, and with a succulence for steak.” —P.J.C. (300 cases)
“This is sourced from mostly old-vine lots at Klipsun Vineyard—one of the warmest sites on Red Mountain. Klipsun typically yields a wine with massive dimensions and this one is inky and dark, with plum and cassis notes, a hint of vanilla from the oak, and a suede-like savor. The flavors are concentrated, the texture dense and broad shouldered, needing years in the cellar to come together.” —P.J.C. (200 cases)
“DeLille likes to blend at Red Willow, employing cabernet franc in the main, with merlot and cabernet sauvignon taking up a little over 40 percent of the blend. It’s a good move for a site as cool as this, keeping the wine bright and peppery without being at all green. The tarry purple-plum core deepens to cassis on day two, with depth and tension in equal measure, woodsy and intense, very ageable.” —P.J.C. (550 cases)
“This Cabernet leads with a darkly floral scent, burly, rich, full of swagger, with scents of cherry tobacco and cedar. The flavors go deep and black in their fruit expression—black plum, fig laced with violets. It needs taming in the cellar.” —P.J.C. (400 cases)
“Smoke and violet scents give this cool syrah a savory feel. It’s briny and concentrated, with a pleasing herbal tinge and fine, youthful tannins.” —P.J.C. (705 cases)
“Full of Mourvedre character (which makes up half the blend with grenache, syrah, and a dollop of Cinsault), this wine imparts flavors of dried strawberries and dark red cherries with a mild florality. There’s plenty of dry extract and grippy, meaty savor, with a delightful peppery finish for lamb.” —P.J.C. (890 cases)
“Le Colosse is a new wine for DeLille, a blend placing emphasis on merlot (88 percent). The wine is dense and concentrated, powerfully built with scents of cocoa and carob, its blackberry flavors held in suspension by firm but velvety tannins. It’s got the stuffing for a New York strip.” —P.J.C. (800 cases)
