Rhône

This is a tiny appellation on the northern Rhône, it has a total vineyard area of only 3,5 hectares, and is classified as a cru vineyard site. It is located in the northern section of the area. Château-Grillet was one of the first appellations to be classified in 1936, and it is the second-smallest appellation, after La Romanée in Burgundy (which has just on one hectare). It has been owned exclusively by the Neyret-Gachet family, resp. their successors, since 1830. The estate is actually called Château Grillet (without a hyphen). Following the death of her father, André Canet, the estate has been run by Isabelle Baratin-Canet since 1994. This is the only case in which an entire appellation has only one exclusive owner, and also the only case in which the estate and the AC bear (practically) the same name. The vineyards are located in two communes, Saint-Michel and Vérin in the Département Loire on the right bank of the Rhône river. They are on extremely steep terraced slopes, 150 metres above the Rhône. The white wine produced here was praised extensively in many travel reports of the 17th and 18th century, it is made from 100% Viognier grapes, it matures in oak barrels for 18 months. It is often described as one of the best white wines in the world, and enthusiastic followers have included the mathematician Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) and Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826). This is a wine with long maturation potential, annual production is only 10.000 bottles.