Les Alexandrins : Cornas 2024

Characteristics and Tasting Tips for the Cornas 2024 from Les Alexandrins

Tasting

Colour

The wine reveals a deep red colour with brilliant highlights that attest to its fine concentration.

Nose

The nose is intense and complex, unveiling an aromatic bouquet that blends dark fruit with spicy notes, including cade wood and white pepper.

Palate

The palate is rich and opulent, underpinned by great density. The tannins, powerful yet silky and typical of the appellation's granitic terroir, promise to meld delicately over time.

Food and Wine Pairing

This Cornas 2024 pairs wonderfully with grilled red meats. After a few more years of cellaring, it will also find a fine match in game dishes, such as hare à la royale.

Serving and Cellaring

This Cornas 2024 is best served at a temperature of 17°C. This elegant wine can be enjoyed after two to three years of ageing, but will reveal its full complexity after several more years of cellaring.

A Cornas from the Granite Slopes of Les Eygats

The Estate

Maison & Domaines Les Alexandrins traces its roots to the founding of Maison Nicolas Perrin in 2007 by Nicolas Jaboulet, followed by that of Domaine Les Alexandrins in 2009 in Mercurol, by Alexandre Caso and Guillaume Sorrel. The structure took its current name in 2015, when Maison Nicolas Perrin became the majority owner of the estate. Today, Les Alexandrins is co-managed by these three men, who are dedicated to revealing exceptional terroirs of the northern Rhône Valley, among them Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph, Cornas, Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu.

The Vineyard

The Cornas from Les Alexandrins comes mainly from the lieu-dit Les Eygats, perched at over 250 metres above sea level on terraces of decomposed granite, with a south and south-east exposure. The vineyard sits within a natural amphitheatre of steep slopes, protecting the vines from cold winds while promoting optimal ripening. This poor, free-draining soil forces the roots to dig deep, enhancing the concentration of the juice and the finesse of the tannins.

The Vintage

The 2024 vintage saw a mild winter, followed by a frost episode in April, then heavy rains in spring and early summer, lasting until mid-July. A dry spell then marked the month of August. These conditions led to strong downy mildew pressure, requiring constant vigilance in the vineyard. The harvest began around 10 September, with daily adjustments according to the uneven ripeness of the grapes.

Winemaking and Ageing

The Cornas 2024 is crafted using a cold pre-fermentation maceration designed to develop the fruit, followed by a vatting period of around twenty days alternating pumping over and punching down. It is then aged for fifteen months in second- and third-fill barrels, limiting the influence of new oak in favour of a finely judged integration of the tannins.

Grape Variety

This wine is made from Syrah, the only grape variety permitted in the Cornas appellation.