Domaine de Bréseyme, Brezeme Côtes du Rhône, Rouge, 2019

To complement their Maison and Domaines les Alexandrins wines, in 2017 the trio of Rhône Valley winegrowers -Nicolas Jaboulet, Guillaume Sorrel and Alexandre Caso - took over the the Domaine de Bréseyme. Applying the same philosophy underpinning the Alexandrins wines, they are seeking to (re)introduce us to the authenticity and character of the Brézème enclave, a superb appellation planted on steep slopes, half-way between the northern and southern Rhône. Our vines grow in the localities of Brézème Est and Brézème Ouest. This four-hectare vineyard (split between 3.5 hectares of red and 0.5 hectares of white) is planted on steep, south-facing slopes whose highest point is Mont Rôti at 256 metres altitude.

Clay-limestone 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.

After a mild winter and spring, conditions were perfect when everything changed on June 15th: a hailstorm destroyed a large part of the Crozes-Hermitage vines. Then we experienced a heatwave in the summer, one of the hottest of the decade, which caused some berries to burn. Our team’s efforts paid back fortunately and we managed to save part of the vineyard in great sanitary condition. And if Nature is sometimes harsh, it can also be generous. The harvest went perfectly well and although the quantities are limited, this vintage promises to be magnificent, despite a climatically and morally complicated year. The years in 9 regularly mark the memory of winegrowers and this vintage was no exception.

Brézème is the southernmost and one of the smallest appellations in northern Côtes-du-Rhône, located where the Drôme and Rhône rivers converge. The earliest vines can be traced back to the Middle Ages.

- Whole-harvest vinification.
- 15 months ageing in barrels of 2 to 3 years old.