Antoine and Maxime Graillot, among the finest winegrowers in Crozes-Hermitage.

The domaine Alain Graillot is a wine estate producing red and white wines from Crozes-Hermitage and Saint-Joseph.

Maxime and Antoine have taken over from their father Alain Graillot at the helm of the 22-hectare domaine Graillot, with the same philosophy of excellence for their great Crozes-Hermitage wines, from the “simple” cuvée to the outstanding “La Guiraude”. These are a far cry from the simple, light Crozes-Hermitage wines found nearby, even if they share the same Syrah grape variety—and little else!

It is best to wait a few years before tasting a Graillot, especially La Guiraude, which is a great wine for cellaring. Indeed, these wines tend to close down after bottling, only to “explode” all the more beautifully later on... In their early years, decanting them a few hours before tasting is highly recommended.

Presentation of the domaine:

Soils: alluvium from the Rhône and Isère rivers + sand. Little soil, but instead “galets roulés” that filter the water and allow it to reach the roots in depth. 2.2 hectares of Marsanne and 0.5 hectares of Roussanne, planted in 1980, are the source of the domaine’s white wines (in AOP Crozes Hermitage). The reds come from 17.3 hectares of vines, 100% Syrah, planted in 1968 and 1972.

Everything is certified organic. Yields are low and pruning is short. Harvesting is carried out by hand, with whole-cluster vinification and no destemming.

The red Crozes Hermitage wines undergo cold maceration to extract aromas, followed by a short vatting period of 13 to 18 days depending on the vintage. Frequent pump-overs are carried out under temperature control. After malolactic fermentation, ageing begins in 228-litre Burgundy pièces (only 2 to 3% of which are new). Around 18 months later, bottling takes place in spring, without fining but with a light filtration. Release follows after 6 months’ bottle ageing.

The production of red Saint-Joseph is very limited and follows exactly the same methods as the red Crozes Hermitage. The vines are located on a hillside in Saint Désirat, 20 km north of the domaine. Not forgetting, very recently, the young vines planted in Saint Jean de Muzols, facing due south, across 14 terraces.

The white Crozes Hermitage: cold settling, then one half of the juice ferments gently in stainless steel tanks at low temperature (around 18°C), while the other half ferments directly in large 500-litre barrels, one fifth of which are renewed each year. Each half is aged until spring in the same vessel (50% stainless steel, 10% new oak, 40% oak of 1, 2, 3 and 4 wines). The two halves are blended before bottling. Malolactic fermentation is most often not carried out. The bottles are sealed with a screw cap.

Our selection of red wines from domaine Alain Graillot:

• Crozes-Hermitage red
• Crozes-Hermitage La Guiraude red (selection of the finest barrels at the end of ageing)
  
• Saint Joseph red

Why buy the wines of domaine Alain Graillot?

Because we love them, and because we believe these wines fully deserve a place in your cellar! But as some customers have told us, “we are not objective, since we tasted and selected them in order to sell them: we have an interest in them”. That is why we prefer to “defend” our selection with the comments of leading guides, more objective than we are:

Guide RVF des Meilleurs Vins de France 2026 (Sept. 2025):  2★/4 (great benchmark domaine).  Antoine and Maxime Graillot continue to uphold the reputation of this emblematic domaine of Crozes-Hermitage, located in the heart of the alluvial plain of pure pebbles and gravel at La Roche-de-Glun. Before them, their father Alain had demonstrated the potential of wines from the finest terroirs of this vast appellation. The reputation of the domaine is firmly established; it produces wines of great distinction, capable of ageing with grace.

Guide Bettane et Desseauve: 3★/5 (high quality). “Undoubtedly the very first independent estate to make Crozes known throughout France, thanks to Alain Graillot, a former ski champion who became a winegrower from the 1985 harvest on these recently planted Châssis lands. A visionary, from his very first vintage he offered a special cuvée, La Guiraude, a selection of the finest pièces in the cellar. Always exclusively red. Others have followed his example. Since Alain passed away last year, his sons Maxime and Antoine have continued his work, still from the Châssis vines for the Crozes-Hermitage wines. La Guiraude is a benchmark for the appellation, with definite ageing potential. Generations pass, the style remains.”

The domaine Alain Graillot on video (Sept. 2017)

Maxime Graillot tells us about domaine Alain Graillot and its projects. (source: vinofocus.com)

Presentation of the AOC Crozes-Hermitage

In red, the wines are made from 100% Syrah and are essentially fresh and fruit-driven in character, with the elegance of this noble grape variety bringing a structure that can age very well over time, especially when the grapes are harvested by hand with careful attention to full ripeness, and the wines are vinified and aged in oak barrels. Some terroirs are granitic, located on hillsides and highly sought after, while others lie on the plain, sometimes with galets roulés as in Châteauneuf-du-pape, a guarantee of quality for the wines produced from them. 

In white, the grape varieties are mainly Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier, blended or not. The aromatic and organoleptic richness of the white wines of the Northern Rhône, and more specifically of Crozes-Hermitage, is often highly sought after, as is freshness. Good white Crozes wines are never heavy, even when highly aromatic. They are best enjoyed young and well chilled.

Some great wines from the AOC Crozes-Hermitage:

La Guiraude from domaine Graillot,
Le Clos des Grives from domaine Combier,
Le Zouave from Jean Esprit,
Circé white from Christelle Betton,
Quartier Latin from Bryan Deleu...

Are you curious to discover another domaine from the AOP? Then why not go straight to one of the finest: discover the wines of Domaine Combier Crozes-Hermitage

or browse below the Grands Vins de Crozes-Hermitage by domaine Alain Graillot: