Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage 2018

The Domaine has now been given two stars in France’s leading wine guide, Revue du Vin de France’s Le Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France. This makes it the highest rated Crozes Domaine (not that we needed this validation!) and confirms the great work being done by Alain’s sons, Maxime and Antoine.

With an average vine age between 40 and 50 years, the Graillot terroirs are now humming on all cylinders. Organically managed, gnarled and manicured vines reach up from a sea of smooth, rolled stones. These vines are rooted on the Terrasse des Chassis in Pont-de-I’lsère, where the ‘soil’ was formed by ancient alluvial deposits of sand, gravel and river stones.

In regards the winemaking, the grapes were loaded (crushed without destemming) into lined concrete vats, and temperatures were brought down to 18°C for a two- to five-day pre-ferment maceration. The fermentation relied on natural yeast and, once finished, the wine was aged in used (between one- and seven-year-old) François Frères barriques purchased from some of the finest estates in Burgundy. Since the 2011 vintage, Stockinger ovals have begun to play a quiet, yet growing, role.

As the notes below make clear, this is a handy release for this wine. Max Graillot’s influence is starting to be felt, with wines of greater texture and complexity upon release. Expect a fluid, bright and fragrant wine with gorgeous fruit, outstanding purity and superb freshness on the close. It doesn’t strike me as wine that will benefit from long aging, although I could easily be wrong. No matter, it is already a wonderful drink.