2010 Alain Graillot - Crozes-Hermitage

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Price: $35.00

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Country	France
Region	Rhone
Subregion	Crozes Hermitage
Varietal	Syrah
Vintage	2010

 

Alain Graillot 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 50 acres of 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.

Alain harvests by hand and works 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. In great years, he makes tiny quantities of a barrel selection knows as “La Guiraude,” a rare and spectacular wine. Graillot’s wines are structured but still very appealing and approachable in their youth, and their longevity is truly remarkable… These are must-haves for any serious Northern Rhone fan.

This is 100% Syrah from his 18 ha of vineyards in Crozes-Hermitage. The soils are gravel and old alluvium. All grapes are hand-harvested and fermented with stems and utilize pump-overs to integrate oxygen into the wine.

The 2010 Crozes-Hermitage revealed lots of minerality, excellent concentration of red and black currants as well as cedar, licorice and black olive characteristics, with a medium to full body.