Maison Les Alexandrins Saint Joseph Blanc - 2022
Description
A partnership between two winegrowers from the Rhône Valley – Nicolas Jaboulet and Alexandre Caso – Maison les Alexandrins produces northern wines in a style at once contemporary and timeless, always from exceptional vineyards unearthed by Alexandre Caso, a specialist in the terroirs of the northern Rhône Valley. Classics with a twist, these wines and how they are aged and blended are guided by the quest for perfect harmony from a very young age. Our vines are located in Saint Jean de Muzols and Tournon.
Terroir
Saint-Joseph’s terroir is mainly granite. The slopes that rise above the Rhône face east/south-east.
The vintage
After a particularly hot and dry summer, the harvest began on August 17th with a perfectly ripe crop of white grapes, early enough to preserve all their freshness and natural balance. The reds followed, benefiting from a few saving rains that gave them more refinement. We favored infusion over extraction on our Crozes-Hermitage and our Brézème, preserving the crunchiness of the Syrah and the very delicate fruit of the vintage. In the cellar, the punching down and pumping for the 3 weeks of maceration released power and character for our Cornas, Saint Joseph and Hermitage. After devatting, a long aging will allow the wines to develop their aromatics, refine their tannins and gain in amplitude. The balance is already beautiful with controlled degrees and a lot of depth.
Location
The Saint-Joseph vineyard stretches 40 km along the right bank of the Rhône on the 45th parallel, planted on steep slopes that were first terraced in Roman times. Once called “Vin de Mauves”, Jesuits in the 17th century gave it its current name. It achieved AOC status in 1956. At that time, it spilled into six villages (90 hectares). It was restructured in 1994 and now embraces 26 villages, covering an area of 1,330 hectares. The vineyard winds from Chavanay to Guilherand, connecting Condrieu and Côte-Rôtie in the north with Saint-Péray and Cornas in the south. Nowadays, the appellation is known for its red wines made from Syrah – simultaneously powerful and elegant – and, on a smaller scale, for its whites made from Roussanne and/or Marsanne grapes.
Process
For our first vintage, we wanted to make a balanced wine using grapes from the north of the appellation, to bring minerality and fruit, and berries from the historical centre of Saint-Joseph that add more flesh to the wine. The blend produces balanced, refined wines.
- Vinified in demi-muids (60-litre capacity barrels).
- Fermentation and ageing in demi-muids for 10 months.
Varietal
Marsanne : 100%
Tasting
Beautiful limpid colour with shiny reflections. This wine opens with a fresh and delicate nose dominated by seductive aromas of citrus. The mouth shows a remarkable balance between freshness and vivacity, bitterness and acidity, offering a very good ageing potential. The delicate citrus notes linger and are underlined by a beautiful, slightly saline minerality typical of this granite terroir. A wine that deserves to wait for 2 or 3 years before opening to reveal its full potential.
Food pairings
This wine will go wonderfully with grilled fish in a subtle lemony sauce.
Serving
Serve at 12°C. Drink within 3-5 years.