Ligne de Crete Les Grandes Vignes
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2030
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
roasted duck, grilled lamb chops, wild mushroom risotto
✨ Technical Specifications
Delas Freres' Ligne de Crete is a prestigious, limited-production Saint-Joseph red wine sourced from the steep, granite-rich slopes of the Les Grandes Vignes lieu-dit in Saint-Jean-de-Muzols. Perched at the very top of the hillside where the vines meet the sky, the name Ligne de Crete translates to crest line, referencing this dramatic topographical boundary. The vines struggle in thin, decomposed granite soils under the influence of the cooling Mistral wind, yielding fruit of incredible concentration and mineral tension. Crafted only in top-performing vintages, this wine undergoes meticulous plot-by-plot vinification and aging in French oak barrels, resulting in a profound expression of Northern Rhone Syrah that balances dark fruit purity with savory, stony complexity.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1835 in the northern Rhône valley, Delas Frères has evolved from its origins in Tournon-sur-Rhône into one of the region's benchmark estates, acquiring its defining identity under the Delas family before becoming part of the Roederer Collection in 1993. Situated at its architecturally celebrated, gravity-fed winery in Tain-l'Hermitage, the house manages prestigious estate vineyards alongside curated négociant partnerships. The viticultural foundation is centered on the steep, south-facing granitic amphitheaters of Hermitage, Saint-Joseph, and Côte-Rôtie, supplemented by alluvial terraces in Crozes-Hermitage. Farmed under certified organic and High Environmental Value Level 3 standards, Delas practices rigorous parcel-by-parcel selections and gentle, temperature-regulated fermentations designed to preserve fruit purity and structural tension. Renowned for sculptural Syrah and opulent, mineral-laced Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier, Delas Frères expresses classic Rhône typicity through iconic cuvées such as Hermitage Les Bessards, Domaine des Tourettes, and Saint-Joseph Sainte-Épine.
🍇 Grapes
Syrah