Maison Les Alexandrins Saint Joseph Blanc - 2023

Maison Les Alexandrins, a signature modern in approach and contemporary in style. Balanced and refined, this wine highlights all the minerality of its granite terroir.

Presentation

Description
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 vines are located in Saint Jean de Muzols and Tournon.
Terroir
Saint-Joseph’s terroir is mainly granite. The slopes that rise above the Rhône face east/south-east.
The vintage
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.
Location
The Saint-Joseph vineyard stretches 40 km along the right bank of the Rhône on the 45th parallel, planted on steep slopes that were first terraced in Roman times. Once called “Vin de Mauves”, Jesuits in the 17th century gave it its current name. It achieved AOC status in 1956. At that time, it spilled into six villages (90 hectares). It was restructured in 1994 and now embraces 26 villages, covering an area of 1,330 hectares. The vineyard winds from Chavanay to Guilherand, connecting Condrieu and Côte-Rôtie in the north with Saint-Péray and Cornas in the south. Nowadays, the appellation is known for its red wines made from Syrah – simultaneously powerful and elegant – and, on a smaller scale, for its whites made from Roussanne and/or Marsanne grapes.
Process
For our first vintage, we wanted to make a balanced wine using grapes from the north of the appellation, to bring minerality and fruit, and berries from the historical centre of Saint-Joseph that add more flesh to the wine. The blend produces balanced, refined wines.
- Vinified in demi-muids (60-litre capacity barrels).
- Fermentation and ageing in demi-muids for 10 months.
Varietal
Marsanne : 100%

Advice

Tasting
Beautiful clear colour with shiny reflections. This wine opens with a precise, fresh and delicate nose with seductive aromas of citrus. Lively, precise and mineral, the palate shows a remarkable balance between freshness and vivacity, bitterness and acidity. It prolongs the delicate citrus notes, underlined by its beautiful saline minerality typical of the granite terroir, before revealing a subtly sappy character, the signature of Marsanne.
Food pairings
This wine will go wonderfully with grilled fish in a subtle lemony sauce.
Serving
Serve at 12°C. Drink within 3-5 years.