| Region of production: | Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage, Saint-Joseph |
| Winery Location: | Pont-de-l’Isère (Crozes-Hermitage) |
| Year Established: | 1985 |
Vineyard Holdings
Approximately 23 ha total; all organic vineyard practices
- Crozes-Hermitage: 17.3 ha Syrah (planted in 1973), 2.4 ha Marsanne, 0.6 ha Roussanne (planted in 1980); soils are sand and clay with large alluvial stones
- Saint-Joseph: 1.4 ha Syrah in two parcels; soil is decomposed granite
- Hermitage (Les Greffieux): 0.12 ha Syrah
Top Wines Produced
- Crozes-Hermitage “La Guiraude”:a barrel selection, bottled only in top years
- Crozes-Hermitage (red)
- Crozes-Hermitage (white)
Inaugural Vintages
- Crozes-Hermitage “La Guiraude” in 1988
Average Total Production
- 120,000 bottles
Summary
Alain Graillot came to wine after a career as an agrochemical engineer. He founded his domaine in 1985 with a parcel of rented vineyards in Crozes-Hermitage. Even with no background in winemaking, he quickly rose to the pole position and today is considered one of the top names in Crozes. The majority of the estate’s production is in red Crozes-Hermitage, though a small amount of white is produced, as are tiny amounts of Hermitage and Saint-Joseph. Alain is now retired (on paper), and his son Maxime (who also makes his own Domaine des Lise and Equis wines) took over the estate in 2008.
Style & Vinification Techniques
The Graillot wines are a hybrid of the traditional and modern approaches in the region. They show ripe, concentrated and clean fruit, but only a maximum of 10% new oak is used in a vintage (most barrels are 228-liter barriques purchased used from friends in Burgundy). The red wines are made from whole clusters. Half of the white wine is fermented in stainless steel and half in 600-liter demi-muids; after seven months of aging sur lie they are blended together for bottling.
Producer Website: N/A