Maison Les Alexandrins, Craies Blanches, IGP Collines Rhodaniennes, Blanc, 2023

An association between two winegrowers from the Rhône Valley -Nicolas Jaboulet and Alexandre Caso-, Maison les Alexandrins offers northern Rhône wines in a style that is both contemporary and timeless, always based on exceptional terroirs unearthed by Alexandre Caso, terroir specialist from the Northern Rhône. These wines play the card of revisited classicism and aim for perfect harmony from an early age and this guides the aging and blending. Our vines are located in the townships of Beaumont Monteux and Pont de l'Isère on the right bank and on the Ardèche plateau.

Originating from a vineyard that is currently undergoing organic conversion, in the heart of the beautiful landscape of the Drôme, it flourishes on clay-limestone soil. The vines run along the banks of the Rhône river, at the foot of the Vercors mountain, facing the sublime cliffs of the “Trois Becs”. A unique terroir which gives it a lot of freshness and crunchy fruit.

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.

In order to reveal all the simplicity of the pure fruit, "Les Craies Blanches" gets very little intervention: a partial destemming of the grapes on arrival in the cellar, a few pump-overs and 100% vinification in concrete vats. The minerality of the concrete enhances that of the terroir.