2013 Chateau Grillet

Continuing the upswing in quality, the 2013 Chateau Grillet certainly ranks among the top handful of Condrieus in the vintage. Showing the cooler, later style of the vintage with its exotic mint, tangerine, liquid rock, peach and floral bouquet, this beauty hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, sensational purity, integrated acidity and a big finish. Count me impressed, and given the incremental yet rapid improvements here, I'm sure the best is yet to come -- and that's saying something! It's worth noting that Alessandro recommends cellaring Chateau Grillet for a decade before drinking. Given how good they are young, I think that's pushing it, but I certainly don't doubt the ageability of these wines either.