From: Crozes-Hermitage, Northern Rhone, France
Varietal: Syrah
Tasting Notes: On the nose, this wine reveals the freshness of the vintage and opens up deliciously with seductive notes of crushed raspberries, blackcurrants, blackberry, and accents of garrigue and violet. This freshness strikes the perfect balance on the palate between generosity from the bright red and black fruits and strength from the round, velvety tannins, reinforced by a great acidity that unfolds alongside flavors of black pepper and licorice.
“A fresh, expressive red, with a core of cassis, grilled garrigue and bacon fat overlaid with pretty violet notes. Supple and open on the palate, with mesquite, sweet clove spices and graphite lining the medium-bodied, integrated finish. Offers good energy and appeal. Drink now through 2030. 7,500 cases made, 1,500 cases imported.” —Wine Spectator, 91 points
“The 2021 Crozes-Hermitage is rock-solid in the vintage, offering both red and blue fruits, some lifted floral, violet, and incense-like nuances, medium body, ripe tannins, and good mid-palate depth. It will be a fruit-forward charmer to drink in its youth, and it will unquestionably offer pleasure.” —Jeb Dunnuck, 89 points
Pairing: All types of roasted, grilled or smoked meat dishes like duck, beef, veal, sausage, and chicken—or even grilled portobello mushrooms. Syrah-based wines and game also make a wonderful pairing. That said, we’re sharing a recipe today for Homemade Merguez sausage by Melissa Clark, a classic pairing for a wine like this (though to be fair, it’s also a great idea to get yours from the local butcher). It’ll yield about 1 pound of sausages & will take about 15 minutes, plus up to 5 days’ refrigeration.
About. Maison Les Alexandrins is the story of three young friends who have formed a remarkable wine partnership, drawing on the generational knowledge and experience of their respective families; the three are 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. Since 2012, they have been working parcels in Crozes-Hermitage and are now producing northern Rhone wines that are true and classic expressions of the region.
An Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée in the northern Rhône Valley since 1937, Crozes-Hermitage 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.
The terroir in Crozes-Hermitage consists of granite slopes to the north, similar to those in Hermitage, while the soil to the south is mainly alluvial with some terraces containing stones washed up by the Rhône. The vines are planted on slopes facing due south benefiting from the Mistral breeze. There is a great difference between the wines produced in the north or in the south of the appellation.
The 2021 Maison Les Alexandrins Crozes-Hermitage comes mainly from vines planted in the alluvial plain in the south of the appellation. It’s a mix of Syrah from the village of Beaumont Monteux, which produces very generous, precise wines, which is rounded out with Syrah from a locality called Les Pends, near Mercurol, for depth and acidity. The grapes spent about 20 days total macerating at controlled temperatures (to develop the fruit) and fermenting with pump-overs for the first few days and punching down towards the end. The wine aged for 10 months in conical vats and demi-muids (60-liter barrels).