Alain Graillot "La Guiraude" Crozes-Hermitage 2022
(Northern Rhone, France) - [JS 95] [WS 92]

Northern Rhone's legendary Alain Graillot, the man who put Crozes-Hermitage on the fine wine map, founded his domaine in Crozes-Hermitage in 1985, and rapidly became one of the most in-demand producers in the Northern Rhone for his exuberant, robust, and complete Syrah-based wines. Alain owns about 50 acres of over 30-year-old Crozes-Hermitage vines on the flat alluvial plain between the Rhône and Isère rivers, in well-draining soils of sand, gravel, and stones. He also has two tiny parcels in St. Joseph, from which he makes a slightly fresher, more early-drinking wine than the remarkable Crozes-Hermitage that constitutes the majority of his production. There's also a small quantity of Crozes-Hermitage Blanc, made from 35+-year-old vines, 80% Marsanne and 20% Roussanne. Alain turned over duties to his son Maxim in 2008, who continues to harvest by hand and work organically, employing whole-cluster fermentation and aging the wines primarily in 1-to-3 year old barrels purchased from some of the top estates in Burgundy.

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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 domaines in all of France is without question and the whole lineup are must-haves for any serious Northern Rhone fan.