These are exciting times chez Graillot. On our last two visits we have been totally wowed by what we’ve tasted, and this applies to the Domaine Alain Graillot, Domaine des Lises and Equis wines. All are hitting new heights. In short, Maxime Graillot is in white hot form. As for Domaine des Lises, we introduced the outstanding new white Crozes last year, and upcoming vintages look equally exciting. In addition to his vineyard in Mercurol (see below), Maxime now has some vines on the top of Hermitage, taking this already fine, mouth-watering white to yet another level. Then, the Equis wines from the micro-négoce Max runs with his great mate, Thomas Schmittel, are just super. From one of the most balanced harvests in recent years, the Equinoxe Crozes-Hermitage is all fleshy, lip-smacking fruit with great balance. And we’ve finally managed to prise away a few cases of the Saint-Joseph, made from the granite-laced hillsides of Saint-Jean-de-Muzols. This is, perhaps, Maxime’s most traditionally styled wine: a complex, layered, structured Syrah with a distinctly mineral core. This year, we have also secured a tiny allocation of the domaine’s rare Vignes Franches. In all the years we have been visiting this address, we haven’t tasted a more impressive collection of wines across all three labels at the same time. Following some very tough years in the vineyards and at home with the loss of both his parents, Maxime seems to have found both an inner peace and system of practice, (including earlier harvesting and longer aging), that is producing his finest wines to date.