Château-Grillet, Neyret-Gachet 2006

Haunting nose that is a more mysterious and minerally rendition of Viognier than most. Intense and dense and complex. No hint of the excess sulphur of some recent vintages. Well done! Denis Dubourdieu is said to be consulting here and seems to have done a fine job. Very long and satisfying. Really intellectual and intriguing. Much more forward than most vintages. Finishes dry. Really intense. Much drier than any fine Condrieu I can remember tasting recently. Lightly honeyed but finishes savoury.

Collected, vital, ringingly fresh and also seductive, with a perfume that steals up on you, this is one of the finest viogniers you will taste. The feted Château Grillet, a monopole in the Rhône valley next to Condrieu, has been owned by the same family since 1830 until being sold earlier this year to the French billionaire François Pinault of Château Latour. I've been lucky enough to taste this twice and it silenced me both times.