Appellation
Château-Grillet
Identity card
VillageAOPWhite
Rhône Valley › Northern Rhône · Recognised on 8 December 1936
- Village
- Regional
Key points
- One dry white, from Viognier alone, on a handful of plots.
- At most 37 hl/ha; at least 11.5% natural alcohol; hand-picked.
- At least 8,000 vines per hectare, trained on stakes.
Grape varieties
White wine onlyViognier
Made from Viognier alone
Production rules
37
hl/ha
Maximum yield
11.5
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
8,000
vines/ha
Minimum planting density
Minimum ageing: At least until 1 October of the year after the harvest
- Maximum yield
- How much wine a hectare may produce under the appellation (a higher, exceptional ceiling often exists). The lower it is, the less can be made: one of the levers on how concentrated the grapes are. For reference: 35 hl/ha to 80 hl/ha across 110 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum natural alcohol
- The alcohol the grapes' own sugar must be able to give, without enrichment: a ripeness threshold at harvest. For reference: 9 % ABV to 14.5 % ABV across 59 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum planting density
- The fewest vines allowed per hectare. For the same yield, more vines means fewer grapes on each. For reference: 4,000 vines/ha to 9,000 vines/ha across 112 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum ageing
- A minimum ageing period the specification requires before the wine may be sold to consumers.
Terroir
- Lie of the land: Terraced south-facing amphitheatre, 150 to 250 m up
- Soils: Weathered granite, as at Condrieu
- Climate: A warm mesoclimate, sheltered from northerly winds
Wine style
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
4 July 2024
Order of 4 July 2024 approving the specification of the AOC “Château-Grillet” (JORF no. 0159 of 6 July 2024, text no. 50; BO of the MASA no. 29 of 18 July 2024). Appellation first recognised by the decree of 8 December 1936.
Labelling terms
- Bottled only in the "Vin du Rhin" bottle type
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Château-Grillet »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / Ministère de l'agriculture
A northern Rhône cru set within the Condrieu area, on a small part of the communes of Saint-Michel-sur-Rhône and Vérin, in the Loire département. Its delimited area holds only a handful of cadastral plots, terraced on a south-facing amphitheatre. It makes a single wine, a dry white from Viognier alone, aged at least until 1 October of the year after the harvest.
Mini-challenge
Château-Grillet
3 questions on Château-Grillet, all answered right, and the appellation is mastered in your Atlas.
Preparing the mini-challenge…