2018 | Alain Graillot | Crozes Hermitage La Guiraude

A symbolic cuvée of the domain, even from young, La Guiraude showcases all the potential of the Syrah. Only produced during noteworthy vintages, La Guiraude is a single grape variety whose vines were mostly planted by Alain Graillot in 1986. Harvested by hand, it is then aged in barriques. Paired with black pudding cottage pie or stuffed quail, this deep ruby red wine has a flavoursome and structured palate. Very concentrated, it entices us with its finesse and intense aromatic persistence. It also exudes the typical Syrah aromas of the appellation: ripe black fruit and spices. A very fine cuvée which certain critics cannot help comparing with the Cathelin of Domaine Chave… and quite right too!

Reviews:

• Vinous: Inky ruby. Mineral- and spice-accented aromas of ripe dark berries and candied violet show outstanding clarity and lift. At once rich and energetic in the mouth, offering juicy blackberry, bitter cherry and spicecake flavors that slowly turn sweeter on the back half. Shows outstanding clarity on the long, penetrating finish, which features well-judged tannins and lingering floral and spice notes.

• Wine Advocate: Looking considerably more roasted in style than the 2019, the 2018 Crozes Hermitage la Guiraude features notes of grilled dark-skinned plums and savory black olives. It's full-bodied, rich and velvety, but with its layers of super ripe, slightly cooked fruit, it should probably be consumed in its first decade, despite having plenty of concentration and tannin.

Producer Information

Alain Graillot left a career in agro-chemicals in 1985 to follow a dream with a rented parcel of vines, on the site of a former pig farm, on the Chassis plateau between Tain l'Hermitage and Pont l'Isère in the appellation of Crozes-Hermitage in the Northern Rhône. Today the Domaine has a reputation for being one of the leading Crozes-Hermitage growers and having trained many more vignerons who have taken Alain's expertise and winemaking philosophy to heart. That includes Alain's sons Antoine and Maxime who together have run the domaine somewhat interchangeably for the last couple of decades. Alain passed away in 2022 but Domaine Alain Graillot remains one of the most widely respected producers in the Rhône valley and their wines grace the lists of France's finest restaurants. The Graillot philosophy is as simple as it is successful – to produce appealing, sensibly-priced wines that people will want to drink.

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