Wine for sale: Domaine Graillot
Domaine Graillot
Heading to Pont-de-l’Isère, south of Lyon, we come across an estate set up in 1985 by a self-taught winemaker that unfortunately left us in March 2022. Today, his sons Antoine and Maxime, take it to new heights, offering delicate, fine wines that can also be cellared.
The former engineer, Alain Graillot, arrived in Crozes-Hermitages in 1985. Soon after he proved himself to be a master of growing Syrah despite his avant-garde thoughts about respecting nature. In fact, Alain Graillot's principles of banning insecticides and herbicides, working the soil with a plough and whole cluster vinification proved pioneering. His cuvées soon stood out for their quality and consistency throughout vintages.
After leaving the winemaking to his sons Antonie and Maxime in 2008, Alain busied himself advising domaines both in France and abroad in countries as far as Australia and Morocco but also in Italy and Spain. Alain sadly left us in March 2022 but his legacy lives on - wines with remarkable finesse are produced and the estate now covers nearly 22 hectares (17ha in the Crozes Hermitage Rouge, 3 ha in Crozes Hermitages Blanc and 1.5ha in Saint-Joseph Rouge).
