“Out of respect for its northern Rhône roots, the syrah sets the tone and tempers the sunny southern grenache.” Delas Freres’ description of their work-a-day Cotes-du-Rhône sounds like a good slogan for the whole of the southern Rhone valley, where these two grape varieties engage in a dance, complementing and balancing each other in hundreds of different wines each vintage. Delas traces their roots back to 1835, and stands as one of the longest tenured and largest houses in the region, with vineyard sources across the valley. A 60-40 blend of Syrah and Grenache, the Saint Esprit Cuvee is fermented at a high temperature and then left to age in stainless steel tank to preserve the definition of the fruit. The resulting wine offers classic Syrah aromas of leather, smoked meat, stewed berry compote, black plum, vanilla, pepper and dried rose petals. Flavors of plum and black cherry dominate the full throttle palate defined by fine grained, silky tannins and the luscious texture of Grenache. Touches of oak spice and dried herbs linger on the finish.