Domaine des Lises Crozes-Hermitage Rouge 2020

Domaine des Lises Crozes-Hermitage Rouge is Maxime Graillot's estate Syrah from gravelly ground near Beaumont-Monteux.

Crozes-Hermitage is the largest of the northern Rhône appellations, and its southern sector around Beaumont-Monteux is flatter and stonier than the slopes further north. The lieux-dits behind this wine are Les Bosquets and Les Pichères, where the soils are full of gravel and alluvial stones, low in clay and fast draining, much like the Domaine Alain Graillot parcels a little to the north. That soil type suits a refined, savoury Syrah rather than a heavy one. The vines were planted through the 1980s and are farmed organically, with certification pending. Fermentation is entirely natural and Maxime uses only a small whole-bunch component, usually twenty to thirty per cent, so the wine comes around earlier than his father's. The 2020 fermented in concrete, then spent eleven months in one, two and three-year-old Burgundy barrels and a twelve-hectolitre Stockinger cask, with a small share of new oak, before three months assembling in large fût tronconique. It is bottled unfiltered.

Drinking now and worth cellaring six to ten years. Serve at 16-18°C with grilled lamb, peppered steak or a mushroom and thyme tart.

*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.