Domaine les Alexandrins Condrieu - 2021

A partnership between three winegrowers in the Rhône Valley – Nicolas Jaboulet, Guillaume Sorrel 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 Condrieu comes from a rare terroir, known as La Caille, located above Condrieu.

Granite soil. 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. This is why some of our centenary vine stocks are able to withstand the tests of time and continue to give their best.

2021 was a winemaker vintage and required great responsiveness to very variable weather, comforting us in the pursuit of our good work in the vineyard. Winter was mild, followed by spring frosts before a dry mid-spring and then a cool summer with record rainfall. By stripping the leaves at the beginning of July, our grapes remained healthy. The harvest started in good conditions with the whites on September 13th in Brézème (-80% harvest due to frost), followed by Crozes-Hermitage and Condrieu. The summer conditions preserved a rare balance in our region. The Marsanne and Roussanne reveal freshness, minerality and precision, the Viogniers aromas of fresh fruit and a mouth full of finesse. For the reds, the lowland vineyards are full of indulgence with floral aromas and soft tannins. Finally, the granite terroirs reveal notes of pepper and spices and a rich palate.

An Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée in the northern Rhône Valley since 1940, the Condrieu vineyard lies at the northernmost part of the Rhône Valley, on the right bank of the river, between the Côte-Rôtie and Saint-Joseph appellations. This terroir only produces white wines from the Viognier grape variety, whose earliest vines were first grown in Roman times.

- Harvested by hand.
- Grapes picked just before they are ripe to preserve their acidity.
- The juice is fermented in demi-muids (600-litre capacity oak barrels) and barrels.
- Quantity limited to just 1,500 bottles.