Château Grillet, one of France’s smallest wine appellations and one of the few with a single owner (although see also domaine de la romanée-conti). Ch Grillet’s few hectares of vineyard represent an enclave within the condrieu zone in the north of the northern Rhône (see map under rhône). A virtual amphitheatre carved out of the granite shelters the narrow terraces of viognier vines from the north winds which can so seriously prejudice both quantity and quality in Condrieu. Already appreciated by Thomas jefferson in the late 18th century, Ch Grillet has always been in single ownership. Until it was bought by François Pinault, owner of Ch latour, in 2011 it belonged to the Neyret-Gachet family and descendants. Annual production was barely 2,000 cases of Ch Grillet’s distinctive brown bottle, one of the last to grow from 70 to 75 cl. Since the 1970s, the wine maintained its high price more by its rarity than because it was obviously one of France’s finest wines.
