Domaine de Fa Saint-Amour

About

The legendary Graillot family has a long history of making wine in the Northern Rhone, where their ability to produce some of the most age-worthy and delicious Syrah is matched by only a select few producers. Owner and winemaker for both Domaine des Lises and Domaine Alain Graillot, Maxime Graillot and his brother Antoine, decided to look North in order to satiate their immense hunger for new challenges that extend beyond the dramatic slopes of the Rhone Valley. Their love of Gamay led them to the bucolic vistas of Beaujolais. The two brothers struck gold in 2013 when they discovered and purchased a 5 hectare vineyard named ‘En Besset’, located in the northernmost section of the appellation near Saint Amour and Julienas. In addition to this high altitude stony hillside, they also purchased two prime parcels in the top crus of Fleurie and Saint Amour. With these new releases, the Graillot family has announced themselves as a force to be reckoned with in a region that is currently experiencing a vinicultural Renaissance.

Domaine de Fa Saint-Amour comes from the single vineyard Côtes de Besset of 25 ha, with crushed granite, sand, and big chunks of granite soils. Lurid magenta. Intensely perfumed cherry and dark berry aromas are sharpened by suggestions of smoky minerals and cracked pepper. In a weighty but energetic style, offering sharply defined blueberry and bitter cherry flavors that firm up slowly and turn spicier on the back half. Supple tannins lend shape to the finish, which hangs on with impressive, floral-tinged persistence.