Maison les Alexandrins
Saint-Joseph
Red 2020
The aim with our Saint-Joseph is to combine a mineral note, characteristic of wines from the Rhône Valley, with a fruity note, typical of the Saint-Joseph appellation.
After the hail damage of 2019, we had to nurse our vineyards back to health with a range of gentle but complementary nutrients. This made 2020 a technically exacting year, especially since the weather reserved many surprises for us. Spring was extraordinarily hot and dry and, despite a short break in June when some welcome rain fell, summer saw a continuation of drought conditions right up until the harvest. With a high risk of mildew at the start of the season, constant and unpredictable winds, powdery mildew half way through the season and the threat of high temperatures and scorching, we were spared nothing, and it required a major effort to cope. Fortunately, the occasional shower, fairly cool nights and morning dew meant the vines did not suffer too much from the summer heat, and all our hard work seems to have paid off with the promise of a fine vintage. To avoid the hottest moments of the day, we began picking from 6 am so as to pick the grapes while they were cool. We began with the whites on August 19 and continued with the reds through until September 16. First tastings revealed aromatic wines of great freshness, with degrees rarely exceeding 13.5°. After so many twists and turns, it is a vintage that reverts to origin in a very “Northern Rhône” style, after the mediterranean vintages of 2018 and 2019.
The Saint-Joseph vines wind along the Rhône. They are planted on slopes covered in granite (decomposed in parts) facing east/south-east.
- Maceration and fermentation for about 20 days with pumping over for the first few days and then punching down towards the end.
- Ageing in barrels for a period of 12 months.
Superb colour of an intense black red with ruby reflections. This wine opens up with a particularly concentrated nose with aromas of black fruit, pepper and spices typical of this granite terroir. An intense bouquet that still requires a little time to reveal its full extent. Elegant and powerful on the palate, it offers peppery and black fruit notes and very present, precise and delicate tannins, finely balanced by a beautiful minerality. The finish is very long, carried by the mineral freshness.