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Tight, discreet, restrained and coiled are some of the epithets attached to young Château-Grillet, alongside finely spun texture, notes of pear, orange blossom and apricot, and a notable amertume (bitterness)– reminiscent of grapefruit–on the finish. With age, the palate gains richness, increasing the floral imprint and bringing truffle and honey, while the finish is always mineral with smoky, salty length.
The grapes are chilled before being pressed as whole bunches. The juice settles for 24 to 48 hours before fermenting wild (finished in barrel) and going through full malolactic conversion. It matures for approximately 12 months in barrel–sometimes more–before the wine rests another six to eight months in stainless still vats. In a departure from the previous regime, only one new 300-litre barrel is added to the cellar each year, which equates to roughly 20% new wood in the blend. The balance ages in second to fourth-use wood.
Grillet’s aging potential defies logic. Ten to 15 years seems to be the general view, and while this sounds inexplicable for Viognier, Château-Grillet is an enigma. William Kelley recently posted an image of a late 1970s Grillet that looked impossibly bright. But that is the magic of this terroir. It is famed for its uncanny ability to age and is remarkably distinct and unique. It is a wine of place rather than varietal expression from a terroir that delivers more restraint and minerality than we generally expect from Condrieu.