Delmas

Delmas is a family-owned Rocks District estate built around SJR Vineyard. Founders Steve and Mary Robertson began their life in wine in Napa Valley in the early 1980s and planted SJR Vineyard in 2007. The vineyard is named for Stuart John Robertson. The name Delmas has been handed down from mother to oldest daughter for generations, a tradition that continues through Brooke Delmas Robertson. In 2010, 45 cases of one wine were made: a Syrah of 93% Syrah, 4% Viognier, and 3% Grenache from SJR Vineyard.

• Steve Robertson leads business development, administration, and finance for Delmas and SJR Vineyard
• Mary Robertson helped establish the sales foundation for Delmas and contributes to color and label development
• SJR Vineyard was planted in 2007 and is named for Stuart John Robertson
• 2010 vintage: 45 cases, one wine

Brooke Delmas Robertson is Director of Winegrowing and leads the viticultural and winemaking direction for Delmas and SJR Vineyard, and 2023 was her first vintage as head winemaker. Before returning to lead the estate, she worked as a viticulturist in Napa Valley alongside growers including Barbour, Piña, and The Napa Valley Reserve, and spent time in Australia with Torbreck. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Oregon State University and an Associate degree in Applied Arts and Sciences in Enology and Viticulture from Walla Walla Community College, and completed the Winemaking Certificate Program from UC Davis. She serves as an elected representative for Eastern Oregon for the Oregon Winegrowers Association. Steve and Brooke Robertson host guests as proprietors at Delmas On The Plaza.

• Brooke is certified as an Advanced Vine Master Pruner through the Simonit & Sirch Academy
• Brooke helped create the Vineyard Technical Group for the Walla Walla Valley with Oregon State University and Rocks District Winegrowers
• The estate credits Steve Robertson with spearheading the successful petition to establish The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA and with founding Rocks District Winegrowers
• Private tours of SJR Vineyard with Steve Robertson are available by appointment

SJR Vineyard is a 13-acre estate vineyard at the southwestern edge of The Rocks District and the source of every Delmas wine. It was planted in 2007 to Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache, and Viognier; additional clonal selections and plantings of Cinsault, Grenache Blanc, and Bourboulenc have since broadened the blending possibilities. Newer plantings are all on rootstock, while the majority of the older plantings remain own-rooted. The vineyard is sustainably farmed with a focus on cover cropping, minimal water use, and integrated pest management. In 2017 an extraordinarily cold winter left the vineyard with 70% bud-death, which led to the estate's mini-head-trained (MHT) vine structure: all red varieties are grown low to the ground as goblet, head-trained vines that can be buried after harvest, protecting the trunk, head, and early buds through winter freezes.

• Block additions: Joseph Phelps Syrah (2016), ENTAV 470 Syrah (2017), and a small head-trained Cinsault block (2019)
• In 2020 the estate began taking steps to significantly decrease irrigation at SJR Vineyard
• With Brooke leading the winemaking, 100% of SJR Vineyard's wine grapes are committed to Delmas
• New Rhône varieties, clones, and rootstocks are being planted at SJR Vineyard beginning in 2025

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) established the approximately 3,770-acre Rocks District of Milton-Freewater viticultural area in Umatilla County, Oregon, in a final rule effective March 11, 2015. It lies entirely within the Walla Walla Valley AVA, which in turn lies within the Columbia Valley AVA. The petition came from Dr. Kevin R. Pogue, a professor of geology at Whitman College. The numerous cobbles in the soil absorb and store solar radiation. Delmas describes the district as the only AVA in the United States whose boundaries are defined almost entirely by a single soil series, the Freewater Series, and a single landform, an alluvial fan.

• TTB final rule effective March 11, 2015; approximately 3,770 acres in Umatilla County, Oregon
• Nested within the Walla Walla Valley AVA, itself within the Columbia Valley AVA
• SJR Vineyard sits at the southwestern corner of this Oregon AVA

Delmas releases wines twice each year, in January and July. The Delmas Syrah is co-fermented with Viognier: the Viognier share rose to 7% in 2013, and the 2022 Syrah is 92% Syrah and 8% Viognier, with 60% whole cluster and 50% new French oak. The Delmas Viognier was first made in 2018; the 2022 is 100% Viognier, barrel fermented and aged sur lie for 14 months in French oak. The first Delmas Grenache was harvested in 2020, and 2021 brought the estate's first Multi-Vintage Field Blend; the 2023 Delmas Grenache is 100% Grenache aged in 100% neutral oak. The Peddler, first officially produced in 2019, is a magnum-only wine; the 2022 is 100% Syrah, 100% whole cluster, and aged in 100% new oak. B | D | R, whose debut vintage is 2022, uses only varieties planted and farmed at SJR Vineyard; the 2022 is 57% Syrah, 40% Grenache, 2% Cinsault, and 1% Viognier. Production was 45 cases in 2010, 1000 cases in 2022, and 688 cases across three wines in 2024.

• Delmas Syrah: co-fermented with Viognier; the 2024 is 94% Syrah and 6% Viognier, 312 cases
• Delmas Viognier: first vintage 2018; the 2022 is 100% Viognier
• The Peddler: magnum-only Syrah; 200 magnums of the 2022
• B | D | R: blend of SJR Vineyard varieties; 300 cases of 750mL in 2022

The estate says its cobbled soils bring structure, freshness, and finesse, and that both Northern and Southern Rhône wine styles are represented, from a 100% Viognier to blends including all varieties planted at SJR Vineyard. The estate recommends opening Delmas Syrah a minimum of 2-3 hours before enjoying, and decanting if possible.

Delmas On The Plaza, at 3 South 1st Ave in downtown Walla Walla, offers seated tasting experiences and glass pours. It is open Thursday to Saturday, 12pm to 7pm, and Sunday to Wednesday by appointment. Private tours of SJR Vineyard with Steve Robertson are available by appointment; vineyard tours do not include wine tastings.

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.delmaswines.com/, https://www.delmaswines.com/family, https://www.delmaswines.com/place, https://www.delmaswines.com/store, https://www.delmaswines.com/visit, https://www.delmaswines.com/membership, https://www.delmaswines.com/delmas-syrah, https://www.delmaswines.com/delmas-viognier, https://www.delmaswines.com/delmas-peddler, https://www.delmaswines.com/delmas-peddler-1, https://www.delmaswines.com/s/2010-DELMAS-Tribute-Series.pdf, https://www.delmaswines.com/s/SYRAH-2024.pdf, https://www.delmaswines.com/s/GRENACHE-2023.pdf. Secondary source: Federal Register final rule establishing The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA (govinfo.gov, February 9, 2015). Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs. Last verified 2026-10-12