Domaine Les Alexandrins Saint-Joseph Rouge - 2023

A partnership between two winegrowers in the Rhône Valley – Nicolas Jaboulet and Alexandre Caso – Domaine les Alexandrins crafts wines in the purest tradition of the Crozes-Hermitage and Saint-Joseph appellations. They are made from exceptional terroirs, ensuring the very finest expression of the appellation. Our four-hectare Saint-Joseph vineyard is located in Tournon-sur-Rhône. The average age of the vines is 25 years. It enjoys a superb east/south-east exposure.

Granite soil, interspersed with pebbles. The vines are tended in a traditional way, using methods that respect the terroir, thereby encouraging biodiversity and drawing out the very best from the grapes.

2023 was a year full of contrasts, which required great composure and experience to deal with the climatic hazards. The winter was mild followed by a wet spring then a summer oscillating between hailstorms and drought, before a complicated harvest period, between August 17 and September 20. A permanent risk of rain and unpredictable weather forecasts required us to constantly adapt our plans in order to harvest our grapes, of good quality and well concentrated in sugars, at their optimal phenolic maturity. At the end of the harvest, the meticulous work was more than rewarded: this very unusual vintage proved to be very promising, perfectly well balanced across all quality indicators. In the cellar, we are pleasantly surprised by the freshness of the whites. The terroirs resisted drought and offer magnificent balance. Low temperature fermentations helped preserve the aromatics. The reds required long macerations in order to extract all the essence of the vintage. The wines from the lowlands are crisp and delicate, the wines from the hills stand out for their density and the radiance brought by the granite. The aging period has now started, the wines will improve and the textures will slowly become more complex in the cellar.

An Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée in the northern Rhône Valley since 1956, the Saint-Joseph vineyard extends along the right bank of the Rhône, on the 45th parallel. The vines are planted on steep hillside terraces dating back to Antiquity. Once called “Vin de Mauves”, it was given its current name by Jesuits in the 17th century.

- Harvested by hand.
- Traditional vinification.
- 70% destemmed.
- 3-day cold maceration.
- Punching down and pumping over in alternation to break down and push in the pomace cap and draw out the aromas and tannins.
- Barrel fermentation for 20 days.
- Aged for 15 months in 2-year-old demi-muids (60-litre capacity barrels).