Domaine Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage Rouge 2020
Domaine Alain Graillot
Graillot's benchmark Crozes-Hermitage demonstrates why this appellation deserves more respect. The 2020 vintage delivered concentration without losing the nervy acidity and mineral tension that separate Northern Rhône Syrah from warmer-climate expressions. Drink now or hold through 2030.
Kit Aromas
Nose
Ripe blackcurrant and cracked black pepper open the nose, joined by a floral violet note and a stony, almost granitic minerality. Beneath the fruit there's a savory, gamey undertone — cured meat and dried herbs.
Palate
Medium-to-full bodied with supple tannins. Dark berry fruit leads, but the wine's real story is its texture — silky, with a granite-like mineral backbone that adds length and tension. Mid-palate brings cedar and a subtle green olive note that speaks to the Syrah's savory character.
Finish
Long, with lingering blackcurrant, cracked pepper, and a clean mineral close.
- Varietal
- Syrah
- Blend
- 100% Syrah
- Vineyards
- Les Chassis, Crozes-Hermitage AOC
- Alcohol
- 13.5%
- Organic / Biodynamic
- No
Food Pairing
The wine's peppery, gamey Syrah character is a natural match for lamb, while the herbes de Provence bridge to the wine's own herbal complexity.
Alain Graillot planted his first vines in Crozes-Hermitage in 1985, transforming what was considered a lesser appellation into a source of serious, terroir-driven Syrah that routinely overdelivers for its price.
Be the first to comment.
Leave a comment
Bourgogne Rouge, Domaine de Montille
Domaine de Montille
Domaine de Montille's Bourgogne Rouge is a masterclass in what restraint can achieve at the regional level — no excess, no artifice, just transparent Pinot Noir from one of Burgundy's most principled estates. It embodies the theme of clarity through constraint: a wine that finds its beauty in what it withholds rather than what it offers. An essential benchmark for understanding why less, in Burgundy, is always more.
Nerello Mascalese Vigne Vecchie
Calabretta
Calabretta's old-vine Nerello Mascalese is a masterclass in how air and altitude sculpt a wine—vineyards perched high on Etna's slopes channel wind and volcanic breath into the glass. This is traditional Etna winemaking at its most soulful: no shortcuts, no polish, just pure terroir captured by a family that has farmed the same contrada for generations. A hauntingly beautiful wine that rewards patience and contemplation.
Perrin Cotes du Rhone Reserve Rouge 2022
Perrin
The Perrin family's Réserve Rouge remains one of the Rhône's most reliable everyday reds, delivering genuine terroir character at a fraction of the cost of their Châteauneuf-du-Pape holdings. It captures the warmth of a late November harvest—generous, grounding, and quietly soulful. A wine that pairs as well with weeknight suppers as it does with the season's final fireside gatherings.
Domaine Gramenon Côtes du Rhône La Sagesse 2022
Domaine Gramenon
La Sagesse means 'wisdom,' and this bottling from very old Grenache vines is aptly named. Michèle Aubéry-Laurent farms biodynamically and vinifies with minimal intervention — native yeast, no added sulfur, no fining or filtration. This is transparency in a bottle: terroir, vine age, and vintage, nothing hidden.