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Maison & Domaines Les Alexandrins is the story of three friends combining the savoir-faire they learned from their parents and grandparents and the fruits from beautiful and historic terroirs. Nicolas Jaboulet, the 6th generation of a winegrowing family in Tain l’Hermitage, Guillaume Sorrel, son of Marc Sorrel of Domaine Sorrel in Hermitage, and Alexandre Caso, a specialist in the terroirs of the Northern Rhône, joined forces in 2012. They began working parcel by parcel in Crozes-Hermitage for the wines of Maison Nicolas Perrin. In 2015, the name was changed to Maison & Domaines Les Alexandrins.
FARMING: Organic
VARIETIES: 100% Syrah
VINEYARD/TERROIR NOTES: 4 hectares, Clay-sand. Vineyards located in the villages of Pont d’Isère (Les Flouris) and Beaumont Monteux (Vie Magne). Semi-continental and Mediterranean climate sometimes.
VINIFICATION NOTES: Manual harvest. Traditional wine. Destemming 100%. Maceration 3 days cold. Two pump-over + two punch down/ day. Fermentation 20 days.
TASTING NOTES: In a particularly hot vintage, the Syrah expressed itself to perfection on this terroir of round pebbles to offer a characterful, rich, and intense wine. With an
emphatic aroma of black fruit and pepper, deep black in hue, this is a powerful
and distinguished wine in the mouth, with excellent cellaring potential.
SCORES / ACCOLADES:
- 94 pts, Jeb Dunnuck
From our 2023 Explorer Club Notes:
Domaines Les Alexandrins Syrah, Crozes-Hermitage, France 2018
Maison & Domaines Les Alexandrins is a winemaking project born from three friends’ deep roots and experience in the Northern Rhône: Nicolas Jaboulet, Guillaume Sorrel, and Alexandre Caso. Nicolas Jaboulet is the 6th generation of his famous winegrowing family in Tain l’Hermitage since 1834. Guillaume Sorrel is the son of Marc Sorrel of Domaine Sorrel in Hermitage. Alexandre Caso is a specialist in the terroirs of the Northern Rhône. They began working together in 2012 under the label Maison Nicolas Perrin before changing the name to Maison & Domaines Les Alexandrins in 2015. Burgundy-born winemaker Benoît Busseuil joined the team in January 2014. Today, they produce Northern Rhône wines that are true and classic expressions.
Crozes-Hermitage is a relatively large region with 14,000ha of vines planted over diverse soil types and microclimates, often producing softer and more approachable Syrah when compared to famous neighbors Hermitage, Cornas, and Côte-Rôtie. The comparative lack of prestige, plus greater vine acreage, makes Crozes-Hermitage a great value overall. But, only the greatest producers make the greatest wines from the greatest vineyards. Based on what I’ve tasted so far, this young Domaine may soon gain recognition like that of Alain Graillot, Guigal, or Chave.
Maison & Domaines Les Alexandrins have only 4ha of vineyards across two villages in the Crozes-Hermitage, so they can be meticulous from planting to harvest. Harvest began on August 31 with a rigorous hand-picked selection of bunches ripened to optimum maturity and didn’t finish until September 25. The grapes were 100% destemmed with manual punch-downs daily, extracting the deep, blackberry aromas, then fermented and rested in neutral oak barrels and finished in stainless steel before bottling. This is an incredibly classic Crozes-Hermitage; it hits all the high notes we expect from Northern Rhône Syrah: smokey charcuterie, overripe black plums, turned-earth, freshly wrapped cigars, and fuzzy tannins. Pair with a classic Cassoulet, roasted lamb, or aged Gouda. Or, if you’re like me, you’ll enjoy a glass on its own while watching Succession after a very long week. — Cara Patricia
