DOMAINE DE FA
The Graillot family are not newcomers to winemaking, they have been producing outstanding Syrah since 1985 in the Northern Rhône Valley where the ageing ability and quality of their wines is unparalleled.
Already the winemakers of Domaine des Lises and Domaine Alain Graillot, Alain’s sons Maxime and Antoine Graillot decided that they would look for another project further north in Beaujolais. In 2013, the brothers were very fortunate to find and purchase five hectares of declassified parcels in Côte de Besset in Saint-Amour and three hectares in Fleurie. These splendid parcels were all organically farmed. The domaine is located in Tournon-sûr-Rhône at the house of Alain Graillot’s mother and is named after the farm where she grew up.
The first vintage was made in 2014 from the lieu-dit En Besset in Saint-Amour which was followed by three more wines in 2015. The domaine uses the same winemaking techniques that are used for their Syrah wines in Northern Rhône and all wines are made as single crus. Currently three reds and two white wines are made. All of the vineyards were certified organic in 2019.
There are eight hectares of vineyards on beautifully exposed slopes in Saint-Amour and Fleurie. There are further vineyards in Leynes where Chardonnay is grown and made into Beaujolais Blanc and a Saint-Véran from the Les Crais microclimate.
The forty year old vines in Saint-Amour grow in pristine stony topsoil on a bed of pristine granite in the lieu-dit En Besset.
The much younger vines in Fleurie and around 14 years of age in lieu-dit Roche Guillon grow on soils of pink granite on steep hillsides that are west facing.
The Chardonnay vineyards in Leynes have a terroir rich in granite and produce a remarkable Beaujolais Blanc and there is also the “Les Crais” in Leynes in the Saint-Véran appellation.
The vineyard manager Sylvain Martel is a firm believer in biodynamic farming and gently cares for the vines to encourage production of exceptional fruit from the vines that are all certified ecocert organic. At present the brothers are working towards receiving the Biodynamic DEMETER certification.
The grapes are all hand harvested and brought to the cellar in 20 kilogram boxes in refrigerated trucks. Work in the cellar is very gentle and gravity is used to preserve the quality of the grapes and juice. The grapes are pressed in whole bunches and are left on the skins to macerate in concrete vats for up to ten days for all of the wines. Once fermentation is complete the wines are aged for ten to twelve months in a combination of concrete vats and 30hl oak foudres that are made by the famous Austrian cooper Stockinger.
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DOMAINE DE FA