Wines produced
CROZES HERMITAGE (WHITE)
CROZES HERMITAGE (RED)
CROZES HERMITAGE LA GUIRAUDE (RED)
SAINT JOSEPH (RED)
HERMITAGE (RED)
Winery presentation
Owner / winemaker
Groffier Family
Region
Rhone Valley
Appellation
Crozes Hermitage
Presentation
Alain Graillot is renowned worldwide and is regarded as one of France’s most talented producers. From the flat lands near the Isère river, he showed that Syrah can yield rich, concentrated reds with explosive black fruit, aromatic intensity, peppery spice, crisp acidity, and firm tannins—tempting young but rewarding with age. He began making wine in 1985 after leaving a career in marketing, guided by mentors such as Paul Jaboulet, Jean-Louis Grippat, and Jacques Seysses. By 1988, he had purchased his vineyards and expanded to Saint-Joseph and Hermitage. Following his passing in March 2022, his sons Antoine and Maxime continue his vision for Crozes-Hermitage. Graillot’s wines are legendary, and he inspired a generation of Rhône producers. Today, Crozes-Hermitage and Saint-Joseph offer some of the Rhône’s best wine values, thanks in large part to his groundbreaking work. Today the estate in run by his sons Maxime and Antoine
Wines produced
CROZES HERMITAGE (WHITE)
CROZES HERMITAGE (RED)
CROZES HERMITAGE LA GUIRAUDE (RED)
SAINT JOSEPH (RED)
HERMITAGE (RED)
Grape varieties planted
Syrah
Marsanne
Roussane
Size of Vineyard
22 hectares
Average age of the vines
35 years
Location
The Graillot residence and cellars are just outside the village of Pont de l’Isère, about 6km south of Tain-l’Hermitage. The Crozes-Hermitage vineyards are close by, on the flat, rocky land between the Isère and Rhône rivers. The best sites are at Les Chassis and Les Sept Chemins.
The Saint-Joseph holdings are in 2 separate locations: at St-Jean-de-Muzols (opposite Tain), and on the hills above Andance, 20km further north.
Soils
Around Pont de l’Isère, the soil is formed from alluvial deposits of sand, gravel, rocks and stones. Despite being flat, it drains exceedingly well. The Saint-Joseph and Hermitage holdings are on hard granite slopes.
Viticulture & Winemaking
Certified organic.
All the grapes are hand-harvested, from severely-pruned, low-yielding vines. On arrival at the cellars, the white grapes go straight into the pneumatic press. After settling, 50% of the must is fermented in barrel (one year old oak bought from top Burgundy producers). The other 50% is given a long, cool fermentation in stainless steel tanks, with temperatures controlled at 18°C. Graillot deliberately avoids malolactic, thus preserving acidity, and blends the components at the end of the winter. The wine is sterile filtered and bottled in April or May following the vintage.
The red Crozes-Hermitage grapes are not destemmed. They are loaded into lined concrete vats, and temperatures are brought down to 18°C for a 2 to 5 day pre-fermentation maceration. Once vinifications get going, temperatures rise to 30°C, and cuvaison lasts 15 to 21 days. The young wines are aged for one year – 80% of them in one to 3 year old oak barrels, the remaining 20% in vat. They are given a light filtration but no fining before bottling. The “La Guiraude” cuvée is not a specific terroir, but a selection of the year’s best lots, chosen after Alain has tasted every barrel.
The Saint-Joseph is made the same way as the Crozes, but from destemmed grapes. The Hermitage grapes are also destemmed, and then fermented in a small, shallow vat with pigeage by foot. The wine is aged in one year old oak for 12 to 18 months.
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