Domaine Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage Blanc 2020

Alain Graillot's white Crozes-Hermitage is a blend of eighty per cent Marsanne and twenty per cent Roussanne from a single plot at Pont-de-l'Isère.

White Crozes-Hermitage is a small part of the appellation and is built on Marsanne, with Roussanne in a supporting role for lift and perfume. The Graillot plot runs to 2.7 hectares on the deep alluvial soils of Pont-de-l'Isère, in the southern sector of Crozes, and the vines are now around forty years old. Because those soils and old vines give a naturally rich fruit, particularly from the Marsanne, Maxime Graillot arrests the malolactic fermentation to keep the acidity intact and bottles under screwcap for the same reason. The fruit is whole-bunch pressed and fermented on indigenous yeasts in a mix of one-year-old 600-litre demi-muids and stainless steel, so the wood contributes texture rather than flavour. The result is textural and pithy, with fine phenolic grip carrying the length of the palate.

Good now and worth three to five years. Serve at 10-12°C with roast chicken, grilled prawns or a mild curry.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.