2021 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage, Rhône Valley, France
There are 3 units left in stock.
ABOUT THE WINE
100% Syrah from 30+ year old vines. The vines are planted the villages of La Chene Verts. Vinification is 100% whole cluster by indigenous yeast, with fermentation in concrete. Aged in 1-3 year old barrels.
The bouquet is deep, pure and precise, wafting from the glass in a mix of cassis, black raspberries, 80 pepper, espresso, grilled meats, dark soil tones and a generous topnote of smokiness. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and very elegant in profile, with an excellent core of black fruit, finemineral drive and grip, fine-grained tannins and a long, complex well balanced and peppery finish. First class Crozes that deserves at least a handful of years in the cellar to soften up its backend tannins a bit.
ABOUT THIS PRODUCER
In France’s Northern Rhone Valley, there are few names as revered as Graillot. It was in 1985 that the late, legendary Alain Graillot, who after working with the venerable Jacques Seysses at Domaine Dujac, came back to his home in Crozes-Hermitage to start his own domaine. With each passing year his devotion to the art of making hauntingly delicious Syrah from his organically farmed, stone-laden vineyards, was rewarded with an ever growing and highly dedicated following around the world. Alain’s sons Maxime and Antoine have been in charge since 2008, continuing the legacy set forth by their father. All the work is still completely the same as it ever was: hand-harvesting, organic farming, whole-cluster fermentation, and aging the wines primarily in 1-to-3 year old barrels purchased from some of the top estates in Burgundy. In great years, the domaine also makes tiny quantities of a barrel selection knows as “La Guiraude,” a rare and remarkably complex wine of particular distinction. The domaine’s status as one of the top addresses in all of France is without question and the entire lineup are must-haves for any serious Northern Rhone fan.