Site: South/southeast-facing single vineyard
Soils: Decomposed granite
Harvest: Hand harvested
Vinification: Destemmed and fermented in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks
Malolactic fermentation: In barrel
Oak aging: 18 months
New oak: Approximately 20%
Final élevage: 3 months in stainless steel

92-95 points Jeb Dunnuck
Cassis, liquid violets, classy oak, and a hint of graphite all emerge from the 2023 Saint Joseph Sainte-Epine, and it's medium-bodied, with a pure, layered, seamless mouthfeel and ripe, polished tannins. As with everything from this estate today, it's flawlessly balanced and has sensational purity.

95 points Wine Advocate
Another highlight in Delas’s range, the 2023 Saint-Joseph Sainte-Épine is deeply impressive, revealing aromas of mulberries, cassis, menthol, spices and dark wild berries. Medium- to full-bodied, dense and concentrated, it’s layered and precise, framed by fine-grained tannins and enlivened by a vibrant core of fruit, concluding with a long, precise and ethereal finish. Entirely destemmed and matured in barrels, of which 25% are new, it will require time in the cellar to reach its full potential.

Maison Delas, owned by Champagne Deutz and part of the Louis Roederer group, has recently inaugurated a new winery designed to enhance precision at every stage of the winemaking process. Under the direction of Jacques Desvauges, this investment reflects a clear ambition to refine both technical control and stylistic clarity. As readers may recall, Delas farms holdings on several of the Northern Rhône’s most distinguished sites, providing a strong foundation for this renewed focus.

In recent years, the house has moved toward a less demonstrative style, seeking greater elegance and definition than in the past. This evolution is expressed through a more nuanced approach to élevage, including increased use of Burgundy barrels and larger-format vessels, alongside a more selective choice of coopers—among them Taransaud, Chassin, Seguin Moreau, Marsannay and François Frères. The vineyards achieved organic certification in 2024, further underscoring this shift toward precision and balance. Winemaking remains broadly traditional, with a certain Bordeaux-inspired rigor that can render the wines somewhat reserved in youth, though this impression softens with a few years in bottle.

The 2023 vintage marks a clear success. The wines show greater precision and a more articulate expression of terroir than the 2022s, which at times seemed more shaped by the conditions of the year itself. The 2024 whites are likewise accomplished, defined by their freshness, elegance, and composure. Taken together, these recent vintages illustrate the extent of the progress achieved here—not through any single, dramatic change but rather through the accumulation of carefully considered adjustments. And it's those incremental refinements that, in the end, make all the difference.