| 2008-03-10 12:44 |
IWC: By Stephen Tanzer
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (Issue #118, January/Feburary 2005)
(Domaine Alain Graillot Crozes Hermitage) (here the yield was kept to 19 hectoliters per hectare more by drought than by spring fruit or sheer summer heat, according to Graillot) Deep, saturated medium ruby. Porty aromas of blackberry pastille, licorice and roasted peppers; perhaps a bit imprecise after the recent bottling. Sweet, supple, broad and agreeable, with very sweet flavors of dark fruits and exotic spices. Not flat but clearly very ripe. Finishes with solid tannic spine and lush flavors of black and blue fruits and bitter chocolate. Graillot vinified whole clusters, which he believes gave the wine more tannic structure without introducing any vegetility. A sample from a bottle open for 24 hours showed somewhat drier tannins but better mid-palate precision of flavor. 89(+?) points |
| 2008-03-10 12:45 |
WA: The 2003 Crozes-Hermitage could easily be the luxury cuvee of La Guiraude in other vintages. Dense purple to the rim, with hints of incense, licorice, creosote, tapenade, blackberries, and cassis, it is tannic, medium to full-bodied, ripe, rich, and heady. Give it 2-3 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 12-15. Importer: A Christopher Cannan Selection, various American importers including Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300, Chambers & Chambers, San Francisco, CA; tel. (415) 642-5500, and Paul Bullard Associates, St. Helena, CA; tel. (707) 963-7957 |
| 2008-03-10 12:45 |
WS: As dark as squid ink, this is a dense blackberry-, boysenberry- and tar-filled wine that oozes power through a lengthy, driven finish. Shows just a hint of overripeness on the finish, but notes of mineral, toast and garrigue keep it in line. Drink now through 2015. 3,500 cases made. –JM |