SJR Vineyard sits in the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater, planted in 2007 by Steve and Mary Robertson. Delmas is the matrilineal name passed mother to eldest daughter, and it's on the label. The 2021 is 91.3% Syrah co-fermented with 8.7% Viognier, saturated purple, and the bouquet leads savory before it leads fruit: bacon fat, garrigue, olive tapenade, then blackberry, minerals, violets. High intensity, high concentration, 200 cases. This is what Rocks District Syrah tastes like when nobody sands off the funk.
Tasting Notes
The 2021 vintage delivers high intensity and high concentration. Deeply saturated purple with a savory, umami dominant bouquet: bacon fat, garrigue, olive tapenade, blackberry, minerals, and violets. 91.3% Syrah, 8.7% Viognier from SJR Vineyard. 200 Cases Produced.
About the Producer
Delmas is a family winery born from Steve and Mary Robertson's vineyard dream, realized in 2007 when they established SJR Vineyard in The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater, Oregon. The name "Delmas" is a matrilineal moniker passed through generations from mother to eldest daughter—carried by their daughter Brooke Delmas Robertson, who serves as Director of Winegrowing, handling both winemaking and viticultural strategy. Brooke studied viticulture and enology at Walla Walla Community College, worked in Napa Valley, and trained in Australian Rhône-style wines at Torbreck before returning to lead the family enterprise. Her background earned her a spot on Wine Enthusiast's Future 40 Tastemakers in 2024. Steve, a University of Washington graduate and former real estate executive, spearheaded the TTB petition for The Rocks District AVA and founded Rocks District Winegrowers. The winery's ethos is elegantly simple: "hand-farmed | hand-made | hand-sold"—an unwavering commitment to wines of restraint, nuance, and enduring elegance grown from the distinctive stony soils of The Rocks.
