The following article was originally published on JancisRobinson.com.
You have to see Château Grillet to truly appreciate it. An amphitheatre of terraced vines is carved into the perilously steep slopes overlooking the Rhône river. The small property sits below the majority of the vineyard, with lower terraces spreading right and left, and some new plantings curling away upriver towards Lyon.
In January we took a flight down to the Rhone to spend some time with the Perrin family. Over the course of 24 hours we saw the traditions that have made Chateau de Beaucastel and the family’s other wines some of the most revered and well-known in the region, and critically how improvements are being made to maintain and increase their importance over the coming years.
September is harvest time in France so I headed down to Burgundy and the Rhone Valley to spend some time with friends of Farr Vintners who also happen to make some outstanding wine.
