A complex and positively animal scent rises from the glass of 2008 Doyenne Syrah Grand Ciel Vineyard, suggesting roasted red meats, smoked meats, and raw liver reminiscent of Cornas. Black tea, black pepper, cherry and cassis add to the impressive aromatic display, and each of these features has its fluid counterpart on a richly-fruited, glossy, full, yet brightly juicy and irresistibly saliva-inducing mid-palate and finish. This superbly complex, glowingly intense, and next sip-compelling Syrah ought to be worth following for ten or a dozen years. (Interestingly, in contrast to most DeLille lots, this relied largely on spontaneous fermentation.)
Winemaker-vineyard manager and self-styled “old world traditionalist” Chris Upchurch has been the guiding spirit of DeLille Cellars since its early-’90s inception, although the ostensibly Old World models followed have evolved significantly in both marketing and winemaking terms. Early-on, DeLille, unsurprisingly, – like so many other U.S. wineries – focused exclusively on a Bordelais vision. That said, Upchurch and his partners had been in business for nearly a decade before they purchased a vineyard: Grand Ciel, adjacent to Ciel du Cheval and Galitzine and managed by the accomplished and (seemingly in Red Mountain at least) ubiquitous Ryan Johnson. DeLille also vinifies and bottles separately the fruit of Harrison Hill’s antique vines (for more about which see my tasting note on the 2009 vintage) and a second estate vineyard project is afoot. The established if misleading name Chaleur Estate was retained for DeLille’s flagship wine crafted from contract fruit (second wine: D2); while the designation Doyenne – utilized from early-on for Syrah – morphed into an officially separate winery for experimental-minded exploration of themes inspired by Southern France. (For database purposes, we at The Wine Advocate / eRobertParker.com treat Doyenne as part of the relevant wines’ descriptions and a DeLille sub-label, which reflects the way those wines are marketed and the spirit in which they were presented to me. Comments on Upchurch’s vinificatory approaches can be found sprinkled though my tasting notes.)
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