Alain Graillot

Alain Graillot’s wine estate is one of the most influential in the Northern Rhône Valley. In 1985, Alain Graillot purchased 20 hectares of vineyards in Crozes-Hermitage, near the town of Pont-de-l’Isère, before the appellation had earned its reputation for producing some of the world’s most iconic Syrahs. At that point in time, Rhône Valley appellations such as Hermitage, Saint-Joseph, Cornas or Côte-Rôti had a lot more recognition than Crozes-Hermitage. In fact, the general consensus was the appellation did not have the potential to produce wines on par with its neighbouring appellations. But, as a native of Crozes-Hermitage, Alain Graillot knew what he wanted and it was to show that making exceptional wines from his home appellation was, in fact, possible.

How did he do it?

His low-intervention winemaking approach might sound simple: organic farming, hand-harvesting, whole-cluster fermentation of Syrah, and ageing the wines primarily in 1-3 year old barrels purchased from renowned Burgundian estates. Farming organically from the start, he focused on reducing the yields from his vineyards to produce highly-concentrated flavours and aromas in the fruit, and a perfect balance of acidity and tannic characteristics. Hand-selected and hand-harvested grapes reach the winery to ferment in whole-cluster with native yeast in cement tanks. His wines’ ageing takes place in used oak barrels (1 to 3 years old) purchased from the top estates in Burgundy. The wines Alain Graillot produces have an amazing ageing potential in the bottle as well as a characteristic ability to be enjoyed in their youth, offering a vibrant lightness from a well-balanced fruit. Alain Graillot’s estate also produces a lesser-known Crozes-Hermitage Blanc, a harmonious blend of Marsanne and Roussanne, that we are delighted to offer on our website.

Sadly, Alain Graillot passed away in March 2022, leaving behind a mourning community and wine world who have come to idolise the producer.

Aside from showing the world the true potential of Crozes-Hermitage and inspiring a new generation to craft outstanding Syrah wines within the appellation, Alain was also the president of the “Académie du vin de France” since 2016. A true icon of French wine that will sorely be missed. Fortunately for the estate’s following, Alain’s sons, Maxime and Antoine, who have been running the estate since 2008, have continued their father’s legacy by producing outstanding wines, expressing the true potential of the Crozes-Hermitage terroir. Antoine also produces a Mencía wine from El Bierzo, named Encinas (‘oak’ in Spanish), together with iconic producer, Raúl Pérez.