It is winegrowers like Alain Graillot who have made Crozes-Hermitage the dynamic appellation it is today. Witness his red Crozes: among the finest, most harmoni?ous syrah-based wines in all of the Rhone Valley. Oenophiles will be glad to know that despite this winery's leading reputa?tion, it is still accepting new customers (simply get in touch by December 1 in the year following the harvest). Viticulture here is not organic but very soil-friendly nonetheless. The wines are fruity and hon?est, with ripe, tannic reds that make excel?lent Crozes for drinking young or not so young-the La Guiraude, for instance. The whites are more straightforward but equally recommended.