Maison Les Alexandrins Vin de France Blanc Le Cabanon - 2025

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. The wine comes from high-altitude vineyards, mainly situated on slopes in the Ardèche, but also the plains of the Drôme near the village of Allex.

Located from high-altitude vineyards of the Ardèche, our vines benefit from cool temperatures.

Marked by contrasting climatic conditions, the 2025 vintage was a demanding, yet a promising year. After flowering under intense sunshine, a hailstorm at the end of June, and then a scorching August, the vines demonstrated remarkable resilience. While yields remained modest, the quality of the grapes concentrated, perfectly healthy, and exemplarily ripe promises great wines. The Roussanne and Marsanne, particularly early, opened the white harvest before the later-ripening Viognier, offering a nice spread out harvest. Syrah reached a uniform maturity across all appellations, requiring a quick and precise harvest. In the cellar, the reds revealed very healthy grapes and concentrated musts, favoring gentle vatting and giving rise to wines with a deep color, fine tannins, and delicious aromas. The whites, in excellent sanitary health, are distinguished by their acidic balance, their well-integrated structure and their beautiful aromas typical of northern grape varieties. Both whites and reds require careful aging to express all the complexity of a mature, harmonious vintage that promises very good aging. Like other years ending with the number 5, 2025 could well be among the very great vintages.

The birthplace of the Viognier grape variety is located in Condrieu and on the slopes of neighbouring villages. Until recently, this variety was only grown here. Legend has it that the original provenance of Viognier is the Dalmatian coast and the variety was brought to France by the Roman Emperor Probus. However, while it takes its name from the Celtic word vidu (wood), found in the Savoyard place name Vions, a 2004 DNA analysis revealed its Alpine origins. A Piedmont variety, Freisa, is a close relation. The winemaker’s cabanon is a workshop and refuge, a place in the middle of the vines where they can take a rest. Built from local materials, such as granite, stone, timber or whatever is close to hand, the cabanon is often a warm and welcoming place.

- Harvested early in the morning to preserve the freshness of the berries.
- Because Viognier has a thick skin that impedes the extraction of its aromatic palette, long pressing at low temperature is carried out.
- The must is then fermented at a low temperature (20°C) and aged in stainless steel vats to preserve its fresh and fruity character.