Domaine Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage 2021 (1500ml)

Now with two stars in France’s leading wine guide, Revue du Vin de France’s Le Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France, this is the highest-rated Crozes domaine and reaffirms the great work being done by Maxime Graillot. With vines aged between 40 and 50 years on average, the Graillot terroirs are firing on all cylinders. Organically managed, gnarled and meticulously manicured vines reach up from a sea of smooth, rolled stones like the hands of an old vigneron. They are rooted on the Terrasse des Chassis in Pont-de-l’Isère, where the ‘soil’ was formed by ancient alluvial deposits of sand, gravel and river stones.

The organically farmed grapes were loaded (crushed without destemming) into lined concrete vats for a two- to five-day pre-ferment maceration. After natural fermentation, the wine was aged in used François Frères barriques (between one and seven years old) purchased from some of the finest estates in Burgundy. Since the 2011 vintage, 20-hectolitre Stockinger ovals have also begun to play a quiet yet growing role.

The notes below point to what a successful wine this is: the cream always rises to the top! It’s already bursting with charismatic plum, anise and rose petal flavours and a twist of nettle from the stems. The palate is refined, juicy, super-fresh and seriously complex. A joy to drink, it will continue to improve for a decade or two, even if it is lovely drinking now. A great restaurant vintage, if ever there was one!