Château Grillet

Château-Grillet has a rich history; the vineyards were planted by emperor Probus in the 3rd century AD. Thomas Jefferson visited the property in 1787. The property remained with the Neyret-Gachet family from 1827 to 2011, passing from one generation to the next. Now it is managed by Frédéric Engerer and François Pinault, the latter of whom is also owner of Château Latour in Pauillac and Domaine d’Eugénie in Vosne-Romanée.

At just 3.5 hectares, located in the heart of the northern Rhône valley, between the villages of Vérin and Saint-Michel-sur-Rhône, the estate enjoys an exceptionally hot and sunny microclimate, protected from the winds from the north. The vines have an average age of 45 years and are planted on breathtakingly steep slopes. They are at 150-250 metres above sea level and spread over 76 terraces, held up by dry stone walls. The Viognier grape is king here, grown on terraces so narrow only one man can work them at a time. During harvest, the grapes are picked, pressed and vinified separately, so as to achieve optimum ripeness from each terroir and to preserve the style before final blending.

Since the acquisition of the domain in 2011, the team has started converting the entire vineyard to biodynamic agriculture. A new tank room was installed before the 2012 vintage, with small stainless-steel, temperature-controlled tanks. The alcoholic and malolactic fermentations take place in tank or in barrel, according to the lot. Ageing for 18 months takes place in French oak barrels, with a low proportion of new oak.