2019 Niepoort & Alain Graillot Nat Cool Clos Somi Tinto

In 1985, Alain Graillot left a career in agrochemicals to pursue his dream on a leased plot of vineyards on the site of a former pig farm on the Chassis plateau, between Tain l'Hermitage and Pont l'Isère, in the Crozes-Hermitage appellation of the northern Rhône.
Today, he is one of the Rhône Valley's most respected winemakers, with his wines appearing on the lists of France's finest restaurants, and he counts many famous winemakers among his friends. Graillot's philosophy is simple yet successful: to produce attractive, reasonably priced wines that people will enjoy drinking.
His vineyard now comprises 17.3 hectares of Syrah vines and 2.6 hectares of Marsanne and Roussanne vines (80% Marsanne and 20% Roussanne), surrounding his cellars in Les Chênes Verts. These vines produce light yet characterful wines, including Crozes Hermitage reds and whites with a pronounced fruit flavour.