2007 Crozes Hermitage
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Tasting notes
A pure, peppery Syrah that teeters on being herbaceous, the 2007 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage has a deep, complex bouquet of blackberries, freshly cracked pepper, earth, meat and olives. In the mouth, the wine is medium bodied and has soft, silky, pure fruit, gorgeous balance and a fresh finish that keeps you coming back for another sip. Charming now given the upfront fruit and purity (a trait of a lot of ‘07s), I think this will gain complexity with an additional year or two in the cellar and then drink well for 5 to 8 after that.
Critic scores
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Robert Parker
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Bright ruby. Wild, pungent aromas of raspberry, smoked meat, tarragon and Indian spices. Then tight and minerally in the mouth, offering sweet red berry and floral flavors and a hint of smoked game. The long finish is tangy, focused and alluringly spicy. Open-knit and expressive right now but my experience with this bottling, which goes back almost 20 years, suggests it will be even better with a few years of bottle aging and drink well until 2017. The 1988, 1989 and 1990 versions are all delicious right now, by the way.
The green, peppery 2007 Crozes-Hermitage should perform better from bottle than the barrel samples I tasted. (Not yet released) The newest wine produced by Alain Graillot and his son is a 4,000-case cuvee called Syrocco in the United States’ market, and Tadem elsewhere in the world. This is a Vin de Pays Syrah coming from Morocco. Graillot’s 2007s reveal the herbaceous, peppery, spicy style of this vintage without the depth one finds in the 2006s and Graillot’s brilliant 2005s. Importer: A Christopher Cannan Selection, various American importers including Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300, and Diamond Wine Merchants, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 567-9897