Domaine Les Alexandrins, Domaine les Alexandrins Crozes-Hermitage Blanc, AOC Crozes-Hermitage, Blanc, 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 Crozes-Hermitage comes from a superb terroir planted with old vines located in the heart of the appellation, around the villages of Pont d’Isère (Les Flouris) and Beaumont Monteux (Vie Magne).

This parcel is located in the plains, on pebbles. 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 1937, the Crozes-Hermitage vineyard lies on the left bank of the Rhône, between the Hermitage and Saint-Joseph appellations. The earliest vines in this terroir were first grown in Roman times. Its name comes from two place names: “Crozes”, from the Latin crucem, which means “cross” or “crossroads”, and “Hermitage”, from the Latin heremitagium, meaning “hermitage” in English. It refers to the hill rising above the Rhône, on the summit of which the knight Henri Gaspard de Stérimberg settled to live as a hermit on his return from the Albigensian Crusade.

A wine crafted in an immensely classic way, with carefully controlled ageing to bring nuance.
- Harvested by hand.
- Vinified in barrels of one or two wines.
- Stirred to add body.
- Matured in barrels for six months.
- Quantity limited to just 2,000 bottles.