Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage 2018

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

About Alain Graillot

Alain Graillot has the sort of vineyard that makes the wine traveller thirsty. It is the kind of place that simply looks like it makes great booze. Gnarled yet well-manicured vines reach up from a sea of smooth, rolled stones, each about the size of a child’s fist. At chez Graillot, the vineyards run deep with such stones, sometimes down 30 metres. It’s the kind of rocky terrain that is common in the Southern Rhône but far less so in the north. You only have to look at it to see that this was once an ancient river bed. The stones are in fact of Alpine origin, left behind when the nearby Isére River changed course in some ancient era. Anyway, it’s always refreshing when the wines live up to the scenery and round at Alain’s place, they really do.

All the wines are superb, and recent releases are some of the most seductive we have seen from Domaine Alain Graillot. This is a reflection of both the change in climate and the subtle evolution in practice under his son Maxime Graillot—full organics, some large cask and longer aging being the main points to consider.

In the Vineyard

With an average vine age between 40 and 50 years, the Graillot terroirs are now humming on all cylinders. Organically managed, gnarled and manicured vines reach up from a sea of smooth, rolled stones. These vines are rooted on the Terrasse des Chassis in Pont-de-I’lsère, where the ‘soil’ was formed by ancient alluvial deposits of sand, gravel and river stones.

In the Winery

In regards the winemaking, the grapes were loaded (crushed without destemming) into lined concrete vats, and temperatures were brought down to 18°C for a two- to five-day pre-ferment maceration. The fermentation relied on natural yeast and, once finished, the wine was aged in used (between one- and seven-year-old) François Frères barriques purchased from some of the finest estates in Burgundy. Since the 2011 vintage, Stockinger ovals have begun to play a quiet, yet growing, role.

The 2018 Vintage at Alain Graillot

From Josh Raynolds, Vinous:

Two thousand eighteen was an up-and-down vintage for growers in the northern Rhône. The year got off to good start, with a wet winter that replenished groundwater reserves, on-time flowering and cool weather that allowed for slow, steady maturation. Unfortunately, heavy June rains in the southern sector, particularly at Cornas, brought on mildew, which resulted in crop loss in some sites. At the end of June, the weather took a sharp turn to sunny, dry and hot conditions, which accelerated ripening.

Because of the kick-started ripening in July and the hot weather that followed, many producers opted, or were forced, to pick their fruit on the early side, at the beginning of September and in hot weather. A few of the producers I visited mentioned that in 2018 phenological ripeness in many cases wasn’t fully attained until the fruit reached about 14.5% potential alcohol, while in the past, it was generally achieved when the grapes hit anywhere from 12.5% to 13% potential alcohol.

There was the obvious danger of dropping acidity levels and rising pHs, and, as many vignerons pointed out, the fruit components of the wines’ aromatic and flavor profiles, while energetic in character, do lean toward more dark character than red, even in Côte-Rôtie. Yields were generally healthy across the region, especially in Côte-Rôtie and in the northern sector of Saint-Joseph, where quantities were robust and sometimes even on the high side, which also likely contributes to the wines’ energy. Still, based on what I saw during my extensive cellar visits during the first two weeks of March, roasted qualities and flabby textures were rarely to be found, which was a pleasant surprise.

Thick skins meant healthy tannins, possibly even excessive, if growers didn’t keep an eye on their vine canopies. Those tannins have given the wines good structure, which should help them age well, even if the wines’ juiciness will make them deceptively approachable, which is by no means a bad thing. I imagine that plenty of wine lovers will enjoy the 2018s pretty much right out of the gate, but in most cases, they are definitely worthy of patience, even just a little.

I generally found more vibrancy to the 2018s compared to their 2017 siblings, and more weight than the 2016s (which, by the way, are starting to show their elegant side more and more lately). In 2018, a number of producers who use whole clusters upped the percentages, as the heat ensured ripe stems, thus mitigating the possibility of too much green character in the final wines. Those stems, numerous producers pointed out, help to maintain freshness, not to mention bringing greater aromatic complexity. I’m seeing more and more producers, especially the younger generation, making increased use of whole clusters, and it’s a trend that I can happily get behind.

Where in the World is Alain Graillot?

Crozes-Hermitage rest in the Northern Rhône above Hermitage. This wine comes from villages of La Chene Verts