Chateau Grillet 2012, Rhone, France (750ml)
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The first vintage that the Pinault family had complete control over in one of the smallest (just under eight acres) single monopole vineyards in the world, Château Grillet, in the heart of the Northern Rhône Valley - the south-facing amphitheater essentially enclosed in the nearby bigger appellation of Condrieu. The 2012 Château Grillet was a brilliant wine, showing terrific minerality, citrus and subtle but nuanced tropical fruits as well as great length, precision and focus. (I have been persona non grata at Château Grillet for more than 30 years because of my criticism of the mediocre quality that existed under the previous ownership, but that has all changed in the hands of François Pinault and his administrator Frédéric Engerer). RP95