Crozes-Hermitage Rouge – Magnum | Domaine Les Alexandrins | Syrah | Crozes-Hermitage | France

Domaine Les Alexandrins was founded in 2009 by two friends, viticulturalist Alexandre Caso and winemaker Guillaume Sorrel, son of Hermitage producer Marc Sorrel. In 2015, they partnered with Nicolas Jaboulet to make the Maison Les Alexandrins wines. As the name suggests, the wines from Domaine Les Alexandrins are made entirely from fruit from their own vineyards. Today the Domaine is now run by Nicolas and Alexandre, with Benoît Busseuil responsible for winemaking.

The 12 hectares of vineyards owned by the Domaine are all sustainably farmed. The soil in the Crozes-Hermitage vineyards consists of round pebbles, while the Saint-Joseph vines grow on granite slopes.

Both wines are made in the same way at the newly built Maison & Domaines Les Alexandrins winery, with fermentation in stainless steel and gentle punch downs and pumping over to extract silky tannins. Both wines undergo malolactic fermentation in barrel and are then aged in used oak barrels (ranging from one to four years old). The judicious use of oak allows the fragrance of the Syrah (violets and black pepper) to shine through. The Crozes-Hermitage has abundant red fruits and is true to its appellation, being the most approachable of the two wines.

This wine is deeply coloured with a purple hue. On the nose, it is concentrated and rich with notes of blackcurrant, blackberries, sweet spice and hints of smokiness. The palate is smooth and well-balanced with red and black fruit notes framed by fine grained tannins and bright acidity.