The actual product may vary from the images shown on the website.
Baltasis sausas
Pressed and vinified plot by plot since the winery renovation in 2012. Fermented in thermoregulated steel vats. Malolactic fermentation is either in vat or barrel depending on the plot. The wine is aged in 20% new French oak barrels for 18 months. The 2020 was harvested at 32hl/ha, a real success volume wise after several years of perilously low yields. Bright lemon-straw colour. The nose is almost reminiscent of Corton Charlemagne and hides the more caricaturish elements of Viognier completely. Fresh nuts, struck flint and mandarin oil all come through on the nose. The palate has apricot stones, a deeply stony character and a rich viscosity. There are layers of subtle spice from the wood - this is much more integrated and complementary than some of the 100% new oak "super cuvee" Condrieus in the market. Oily, succulent and rich, there is a deeply savoury tone and tangy freshness that builds to the finish. This is tightly wound and will only improve with time in the bottle.
Serve at 12-14°C with foie gras, seafood such as lobster, crayfish, crab but also poultries and veal cooked in white sauce, blue cheeses.
You have to see Château Grillet to truly appreciate it. An amphitheatre of terraced vines is carved into the perilously steep slopes overlooking the Rhône river.
Production is small – the entirely-Viognier vineyard is 3.75 hectares in size, and only a percentage of this makes the cut to become the flagship bottling. Though planted to the same variety as adjacent Condrieu, this monopole appellation makes wines that are a style of their own, ageing wonderfully in ways most Viognier simply cannot. Often the wines need time in bottle to open up, in great contrast to most Condrieus which are at their best almost from the moment they are bottled. The name itself suggests why – grillet, or burned, refers to the suntrap that is the south-facing vineyards here. This spot of land has its own microclimate that sets it apart.
In 2011 Château Grillet became part of the Artemis group, owned by Francois Pinault and run by Frédéric Engerer. This put significant experience into the property, with the group also running Château Latour, Domaine d’Eugenie, Clos de Tart and Eisele Vineyard in Napa, among others. It also allowed for significant investment to take place. The drystone walls have been repaired and meticulously maintained. The vines have been retrained to improve quality and mitigate disease risk, with new plantings added and viticulture improved. Conversion to biodynamic farming has been completed. The tiny winery has been given all necessary upgrades, allowing each plot to be picked, pressed and vinified separately. Ageing takes place in barrel for 18 months, though the percentage of new oak has been reduced to 20%. The team has been expanded and renewed to ensure the greatest expertise and work ethic. Strict selection in vineyard and winery has increased production of a Côtes du Rhône white – formerly Pontcin – that offers a glimpse of the style and raises the level of the tiny production of Grillet itself. There is, too, a Condrieu called La Carthery, coming from two plots acquired in 2013 and 2017 respectfully that total a tiny 0.25 hectares.
