Incredible St. Joseph You Can Drink Every Day (Thank You Strong Dollar) Plus a Wonderful White
I have plenty of winemakers who do not come from winemaking families. But let me tell you - it sure helps to be the son of a legend (Guillaume Sorell's father is Marc Sorell of the famous Hermitage estate who has incredible slices on that legendary hill, with his Le Greal being the most famous). Imagine every day of your life learning the lessons of what to do with problems in different types of harvests. Tasting wines from these harvests and seeing how they age. It helps. A lot. 
Simply put, Guillaume Sorrel has the Touch. What is the Touch? It's knowing almost by instinct every little nuance of making wine and how to do it perfectly. I'll let others argue about how much is nature versus nurture but Guillaume has the touch - you can taste it in every wine; the balance, the texture, the way it expresses its terroir. Domaine les Alexandrins is one of the most exciting young estates in the Northern Rhone. Get on board - the dollar will not be this strong forever and these wines are gaining in popularity.
The first wine is the 2012 Domaine les Alexandrins St Joseph "Aren de Coeur" for as little as $24.99 on a 4-pack.The wine is fantastic. Big and rich with suave tannins and wonderful purity. Excellent black fruits and a real serious sense of place. I just tasted it again and it's gotten even better. The quality of the tannins is just incredible and there is a real sense of breed and finesse. It was one of the best wines I tasted on my entire recent jaunt in the Rhone. This is very limited as 2012 is mostly sold out already. St. Joseph is increasing in popularity (and price) and I don't think that we'll see prices these low for wines of these quality for long.
I let Jeb Dunnuck of the Wine Advocate know about it and he raved to me how great the wines are. He gave the 2012 St Joseph Aren de Coeur 92 points. His note follows:
"Coming from the southern part of the appellation and 90-year-old vines, the inky colored 2012 Saint Joseph L'Arene de Coeur has a fabulous bouquet of crushed rock-like minerality, violets, saddle leather and sweet raspberry fruit. Distinctly granite influenced, with medium to full-bodied depth and richness, it has a tight, taunt texture, excellent mid-palate depth and building tannin, none of which detract from the silky, seamless feel. Drink this beauty over the coming decade. This Crozes Hermitage estate was recommended to me by importer Lyle Fass, and I loved their wines. Given the quality, they remain more than reasonably priced."
I tasted with Guillaume and Thomas on a very windy, slightly rainy, typical late February morning and I was in a red wine state but they surprised me with an outrageous 2013 white Crozes. I did not know they make white wine but was pleasantly surprised that they do. If it was even half as excellent as their reds I was on board, but in fact it was just as good as the reds as expected. There is a purity and cleanliness to the reds that is also very evident in their whites.
I am thrilled to offer the Domaine les Alexandrins Crozes Hermitage Blanc 2013for as little as $21.99 on the 4 pack. This is mostly Marsanne with a skoche of Roussanne and has that tell-tale Alexandrins purity. The nose had a lovely earthy:mineral quality with loads of aromas that jump out of the glass with serious precision. So pure and clean on the palate with yellow fruits and a nice floral noteand major inner mouth aromas.
If there is one thing I have learned from importing Northern Rhone wines more than anything is that the whites should only not be ignored but they should be given a long hard look, and then some. I have fallen for these wines. As an acid head many of you may question me, but these wines have acid, but one needs to remember they have acid within the context of what they are. If you keep those thoughts in your head and remember that then you will undoubtedly love the Fass Selections white Rhone book.
WE NOW SHIP TO MASSACHUSETTS!
In February, Amedeo will ship to Massachusetts. We are thrilled about this.
Office Hours
I love drinking and selecting wines - but my passion for teaching people about wine is almost as big. I'm happy to announce a block of time each day where people can call me just to chat about wine in general. These blocks are NOT intended to sell wine (I do that all day). This is to talk to me about wine pairings or great producers or how long to age wines or styles of wine making or the latest wine controversy. My goal is to help people learn more about wine and enjoy it more. Call me at  917-912-4355 from 4-7 EST Monday - Friday.
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