Region: Zenata, Morocco

Varietal: 100% Syrah

Tasting notes:  This is absolutely delicious Syrah! Alain Graillot crafts this wine as a fruit-forward Moroccan red, yet it is made in an Old-World style with moderate extraction, excellent balance, and complex aromatics: plenty of ripe purple black fruits and dried red cherry followed by hints of sandalwood, herbs, and spice. The finish is dry, long, and similar to classic Syrah. This tasty, hedonistic Syrah is ideal for drinking over the next several years.

Producer:  Northern Rhône native, Alain Graillot, is recognized for his passion of Syrah. Prior to starting his own domaine, Alain worked in Burgundy, where he received guidance from the reputable Jacques Seysses of Domaine Dujac. In 1985, Alain founded Domaine Alain Graillot just outside the village of Pont de l’Isère, about 6 km south of Tain-l’Hermitage. He is now considered one of the most highly sought-after producers in the Northern Rhône due to his exuberant, robust and impeccably made Syrah-based wines. “Alain has a passion for the Syrah grape from which he makes hand crafted wines of great distinction and enormous elegance" - The Wine Spectator

Vineyard and Winemaking:  Alain Graillot stumbled upon these vineyards and the Thalvin winery while bicycling in the Zenata region of Morocco between Casablanca and Rabat. It is a beautiful area with cool winds blowing off the Atlantic and no polluting industries. The Thalvin winery has been around since the 1920s and after some discussion, a deal was reached and Thalvin provided Graillot with parcels of Syrah vines to produce Syrocco. Fruit is grown primarily around the winery, which is located near the village of Ben Slimane (40 km from the ocean between Casablanca and Rabat in Morocco). The wine is crafted from vines 10-40 years old (average age 25 years), using traditional farming methods such as goblet pruning, hand weeding and hand ploughing, to maintain the integrity of the varietal. This is a functionally Organic vineyard as no herbicide or fungicide treatments are used. The grapes are 100% de-stemmed and fermented in closed concrete vats. Daily pumpovers are done and maceration is completed in 10 days. The wine is aged for 15 months, first in tanks and then finished in large oak casks imported from Burgundy (from François Frères).