The flagship offering from St.-Joseph, and one of the three greatest wines of the appellation, is Delas’ 2006 St.-Joseph Ste.-Epine. A more long-term effort (2-3 years of cellaring is recommended) with additional tannin, structure, concentration, and depth, it is a wine of great nobility and terroir. The 2006 exhibits plenty of earthy blackberry and sweet black currant fruit along with hints of graphite, licorice, smoked meats, and powdered rocks. It should evolve for 15+ years. In the late 1990s, as the quality of one of the northern Rhone’s most well-known negociant firms, Paul Jaboulet-Aine, was beginning to decline, the quality of Delas Freres was soaring, and they are now one of the three top negociant firms in the Rhone Valley. Delas Freres has been the property of Champagne Deutz since 1996, and belongs to the same owners as Champagne Louis Roederer. The owners as well as the Directeur Technique, the brilliant Jacques Grange, and winemaker Jean-Francois Farinet deserve credit for the rise in quality at this operation. The Delas Freres wines continue to go from strength to strength, and while I believe the Jaboulet wines will return to form under the new ownership, Delas Freres is already there. The current portfolio includes strong 2006s and very good 2007s. As long-time readers know, there is a hierarchy to the Delas wines from Crozes-Hermitage, St.-Joseph, Hermitage, and Cote Rotie. The finest values come from Crozes-Hermitage (especially their lower level cuvees, Les Launes and Domaine des Grands Chemins), and from St.-Joseph (Les Challeys). The quality jumps dramatically with the Crozes-Hermitage Le Clos, St.-Joseph Francois de Tournon, and the luxury cuvee, the St.-Joseph Ste.-Epine. In top vintages, there are two offerings from Cote Rotie, the single vineyard La Landonne and the Seigneur de Maugiron. Both cuvees were produced in 2006, but only the Seigneur de Maugiron was made in 2007 (because of the hail storm that destroyed a large percentage of the crop in Cote Rotie). Delas Freres owns 25 acres in Hermitage, from which they produce two cuvees, with Les Bessards only made in the top vintages.Importer: Maison Marques et Domaines, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 587-2000

Dark, with a slightly sauvage hint up front, along with a range of dark currant, iron, violet and tar notes. Has a grippy finish, thanks to a healthy but integrated dose of bittersweet cocoa. Just needs to settle in. Best from 2009 through 2011. 330 cases made. -JM

A bit stern and tannic, but this tightly wound mix of black olives and espresso should come around by 2012 or shortly thereafter. It's chewy in texture, but finishes with decent fruit, so give it the benefit of the doubt.——J.C.(4/1/2010)—— 89