Maison Les Alexandrins Hermitage Blanc - 2022

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.

Our grapes come from vines planted in the localities of Rocoule and Maison Blanche, where the loess and chalky soils are ideal for white wines.

The 2022 vintage experienced contrasting climatic hazards which allowed to offer good quality grapes and a very promising aromatic complexity, with however a heterogeneous volume depending on the plots. Winter and spring were particularly mild and very dry, with the months of January and May proving to be the driest since the start of the 20th century, with record temperatures in May and June. These conditions allowed to maintain an excellent sanitary state of the vines, thanks to a total absence of disease. The summer was then very sunny with high temperatures that presaged high potential in terms of alcohol, but saving rains in mid-August allowed the grapes to slowly continue to mature. The harvest thus began on August 19th in very good conditions and 11 days ahead of 2021. It was punctuated by a few rainfalls in September which did not alter the superb quality of the grapes but made it necessary to carry out a light sorting in the vineyard. We have worked our rosés with finesse, for elegant, fruity and low-alcohol wines. The reds were gently vinified with delicate extractions which reveal particularly balanced wines. The first tastings suggest a 2022 vintage full of promise, with complex and aromatic palates and great balance.

This Grand Cru’s classic reputation has been built over the centuries around one hill and a history steeped in legend. Appreciated as far back as Roman times when they were called “Vienne wines” (like those from Côte-Rôtie), Hermitage wines then became known as “wines of the slopes of Saint-Christophe”, named after the local chapel dedicated to the saint. It would seem that the name Hermitage first appeared in the 17th century in memory of the knight Henri Gaspard de Stérimberg who, in the 13th century, on his return from the Albigensian Crusades, decided to live as a hermit on this hill, granted to him by Blanche of Castile, Queen of Spain. He is said to have replanted a vineyard which went on to take the name of Ermitage, and then Hermitage. This was only the beginning of the vineyard’s success; it is said that under the reign of Louis XIV, Hermitage was the favourite wine of the Russian tsars. The list of Hermitage enthusiasts is as long as it is illustrious, including as it does Henry IV, French poet Boileau, Louis XIII, Louis XIV, Nicolas II and Alexandre Dumas.

- Vinified in barrels.
- Aged in barrels for 12 months.