Description

A step up from the Equinoxe, bottled later and from the oldest vines. Des Lises offers more texture and complexity as compared to the Equinoxe. Now that it is 11 years old it is just about perfection. Floral, strawberry, raspberry, flint. Secondary notes of hung meat, baked earth and leather. The long finish is smooth as silk and delightfully long. Drink this Des Lises now with some rabbit stew.

Born into wine making greatness, Maxime’s dad, Alain Graillot, is responsible for the best Crozes Hermitage in the entire region. Maxime started his own estate and forged his own style (he also manages his father’s estate now). The wines are elegant, savoury and very old school: oak and extraction are kept to a minimum.

Rhone Valley

One of the great wine regions in the world. Situated along the Rhone river in South East France there is a distinct divide between the Syrah dominant North where the Mistral wind cools and regulates the temperature and the hot lands in the South where Grenache is at its peak. The region produces everything from easy going quaffers to wines that demand long term cellaring. Whites can be outstanding such as Viognier made in Condrieu and Rosé makes a fair impression too.

Crozes Hermitage

Not instantly as recognisable or as loved as fellow Northern Rhone appellations like Cote Rotie, Saint Joseph or Hermitage. But as John Livingstone-Learmonth says “terroir is alive and well at Crozes-Hermitage!”. A huge variation in geology as well as grower outlook means the wines are anything from lean, mineral and taut to Barossa style Syrah. There is a handful of fantastic quality wines that rival anything in the Rhone. The next tier down offer great quality and even better value.

Shiraz/Syrah

A bit of a chameleon, Shiraz can change how it looks depending on terroir and/or wine maker influence. The Syrah based wines of Northern Rhone are dry and austere while the Shiraz of Barossa is rich and fleshy. A variety that lends itself to long aging but can be drunk at any time of its evolution.