Maison Les Alexandrins Condrieu Blanc - 2024

A partnership between three winegrowers from the Rhône Valley – Nicolas Jaboulet, Guillaume Sorrel 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. Comes from vines located in Condrieu and Limony.

Here the parent rock is granite. The topsoil varies between decomposing granite and loess. This soil is perfectly suited to the Viognier grape variety and the vines, planted in terraces, are constantly bathed in sunshine.

After 2023 which was full of contrasts, 2024 was once again a year marked by considerable challenges, requiring great composure and the benefit of experience to face the temperamental climate. After a mild winter, April was marked by frost, followed by intense rain throughout the spring and early summer until mid-July, followed by drought in August. These conditions were particularly testing for us: the fight against mildew, especially with its impact on the inflorescences, required constant attention. The harvest thus began around September 10th, requiring daily adjustments to the heterogeneity of the grape maturity. We had to taste and analyse the berries every day and the weather determined strategic choices and we had to constantly change the harvest schedule to harvest each plot at its optimal maturity. A painstaking work that was worth it, with a decisive impact on the quality and style of the vintage. Despite all these difficulties, the final quality of the grapes offers some great surprises. The first tastings are very promising with crisp and delicious reds and beautiful whites with melted acidity and a beautiful structure on the palate. The devatting has started and the ageing period that follows will allow our wines to improve and gain complexity.

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. Its white wines are made exclusively from the Viognier grape variety, whose earliest vines were first grown in Roman times.

- Vinification partly in tanks and partly in 225-litre barrels.
- Matured on fine lees for 8 months.