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The star of the Delas whites is the 2019 Hermitage Domaine des Tourettes Blanc, based on Marsanne from L’Ermite, Le Sabot (the bottom portion of Les Bessardes) and La Tourette. Barrel fermented and aged in approximately one-third new French oak, it offers scents of crushed stone, pencil shavings, toasted coconut, ripe pear and melon, plus hints of citrus. Full-bodied and rich, it’s creamy in texture and weighty on the palate, yet with great persistence and lingering flavors. Delicious now, I suspect it will close down within the next year or two, yet it should be capable of aging for up to two decades, adding layers of richness and truffled complexity.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RPStill a bit youthfully compact, but there’s focus and drive to the mix of salted butter, acacia, quince, lemon curd and white peach flavors. This has polished edges offset by a racy spine through it all. Cellar for maximum effect. Marsanne and Roussanne. Best from 2022 through 2032. 475 cases made, 50 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSA fresh, fine, direct fragrance - quince, pear and plum. Very rounded and generous on the palate, a little on the fat side. This has real depth however. There’s a vein of acidity buried in the wine which will help give it some freshness, but it’s not as fresh as some this year, it’s very full-bodied, but still very good. Fermented and aged in new and recent barriques, partial malolactic. Drinking Window 2021 - 2029.Decanter | 95 DEC

This is packed, featuring juicy and energetic raspberry, blackberry and dark plum pate de fruit flavors wrapped in licorice root, black tea, singed juniper and incense notes. Everything knits tightly through the finish, with the underlying freshness extending to a lengthy finish as the juniper note leaves a mouthwatering echo. Serious, old school style. Best from 2024 through 2038. 1,500 cases made, 275 cases imported. Wine Spectator | 96 WSAlmost all Grenache, the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape A La Gloire De Mon Grand-Père comes from the La Gardiole lieu-dit and was aged 80% in demi-muids and 20% in foudre. Its deep purple/plum color is followed by a stunning array of black cherry, blackberry, and ripe strawberry fruits as well as candied flowers, orange blossom, and toasted spice. As with the old vine cuvée, the tannins have a firm edge and it’s built with short-term cellaring in mind, yet the purity is brilliant, I love its balance, and this is just a stunning Grenache that’s going to have two decades of pure pleasure giving.Jeb Dunnuck | 96+ JDAll Grenache, aged in a combination of demi-muids and foudre, the 2019 Châteauneuf du Pape A la Gloire de Mon Grand-Père delivers black cherries and blackberries, plus hints of clove, allspice and garrigue. Full-bodied, dense and rich, with plenty of alcohol ("but less than 16%," said Nicolas Boiron), it finishes long and velvety but also a bit warm. The always-smiling, ebullient couple of Nicolas and Jeanne-Claire Boiron have an infectious enthusiasm for wine (and, seemingly, life) that makes a visit to their cellar in Cha?teauneuf du Pape a pleasure. This year, there were a couple of new wines to look at, including a limited-production Chante le Merle Blanc and a "one-time-only" Grenache cuvée drawn from sandier sites. The wines remain fairly priced for the quality, comfortably straddling the line between modern and traditional.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vieilles Vignes (100% Grenache) brings more opulence and sexiness, with a more unevolved vibe in its ripe black fruits, violets, toasted spice, and Provençal garrigue-like aromas and flavors. Brought up in equal parts used barrels, new French oak, and demi-muids, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a seamless, incredibly elegant texture, ripe tannins, and one hell of a great finish. This is a Grenache lover’s dream, and it should continue drinking brilliantly for another 10-15 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDA strapping young wine, brimming with dark plum paste and boysenberry compote flavors that are carried by racy licorice snap and fruitcake notes. The lively back end shows a hint of bramble and a touch of tar, giving this energy and power as it courses through the finish. Best from 2023 through 2038. 300 cases made, 50 cases impoWine Spectator | 96 WSBetter balanced than the Renaissance, not so much oak with the natural power of the fruit to the fore. It’s very ripe, quite muscular and towards sweet in profile. A bright, zingy, technicolour style, polished and sleek, but will have plenty of fans. Warming alcohol. 100% old-vine Grenache from the lieu-dit Cristia sandy soils. Matured in barriques and demi-muids for 18 months, one-third new oak. Drinking Window 2022 - 2033.Decanter | 94 DECAll Grenache, the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes matured in a mix of demi-muids and barriques, with about one-third new oak. Faint herbal notes and nuance to this wine’s cedar, vanilla and black cherry flavors. It’s full-bodied, concentrated and reasonably tannic, but it finishes silky and fine. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91+ RP

One of the top handful of wines in the vintage, the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée De Mon Aïeul is all Grenache, from the different terroirs (one sand, one clay, and one limestone) that was 50% destemmed and aged all in older demi-muids. Reminding me of the 2007 with its incredible perfume of ripe black raspberries, strawberries, flowery incense, peppery and Provençal garrigue, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a round, expansive texture, gorgeous tannins, and a blockbuster of a finish. A wine of incredibly purity, precision, and elegance, yet also with power and opulence, this sensational effort is in need of 3-4 years of bottle age and will keep for two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JDTypically a standout even amongst the best of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, this monumental bottling is sourced from 75- to 90-year-old Grenache planted in a diversity of pebbly, sandy and clay soils. Fermented partially in whole clusters, it offers black-cherry and raspberry flavors that are herculean in ripeness yet silken and deft, lifted by streaks of salt, crushed stone and smoke. A stunner in youth, the wine will likely improve through 2035 and hold further.Wine Enthusiast | 98 WEAll Grenache, all whole cluster, the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee de Mon Aieul combines hints of menthol and steaminess with big blackberry and raspberry fruit. Full-bodied, creamy and lush, it finishes long and velvety, a tour de force of Grenache.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThis has the heady edge of the vintage, with gutsy blackberry, plum and fig compote notes forming the bulk of the wine, while singed juniper, warm stone and tar notes score the finish. Delivers a nice licorice snap at the very end for a finishing kick. Best from 2023 through 2035. 300 cases made, 160 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WS