1988 Château-Grillet (Neyret-Gachet) Château-Grillet

Community Tasting Notes (3) Avg Score: 93 points

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  2/9/2023 - forceberry wrote: 93 Points

  100% Viognier, aged for 18 to 24 months in predominantly old oak barrels. 13% alcohol.
  
  Light and remarkably youthful greenish-yellow color. The nose feels slightly sweetish, somewhat candied and a bit reticent with light aromas of ripe yellow fruits, some woolly notes of lanolin, a little bit of tutti frutti candy, light apricot tones, a fragrant hint of lychee, a touch of poached pear and a whiff of evolved waxy richness. The wine feels dry, crisp and more evolved on the palate than the nose would suggest with a medium body and layered flavors of mealy red apple, some woolly notes of lanolin, a little bit of ripe apricot, light evolved waxy tones, mineral hints of wet rocks and salinity and a faint touch of lychee. The bright, almost racy acidity feels almost atypically high for a Viognier, lending great sense of freshness and intensity to the wine. The finish is long, evolved and crunchy with a long, complex aftertaste of developed waxy richness and sweet white peach, some damp woolly tones, a little bit of mealy yellow apple, light stony mineral notes, hints of apricot and honeydew melon and a touch of tangy salinity.
  
  An impressively fresh, crisp and focused vintage of Château-Grillet that feels lighter and more acid-driven than the other vintages of Château-Grillet we tasted at the same go. While this wine didn't reach the level of depth, complexity and intensity of the best vintages (1991 and 1979), coming across as a bit restrained and aromatically lighter in comparison, this wine still showed great sense of finesse, nuance and complexity in its own right. Even the woolly nuances - of which I am not a fan of - didn't manage to bother me at any point. As the wine was surprisingly fresh and youthful for its age, I wouldn't be surprised if it continued to evolve and improve from here - even if the wine is in a pretty terrific spot already now. Highly recommended.

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  8/17/2018 - sjwshiraz wrote:

  Fresh as a daisy. Wonderful

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  7/27/2012 - vindictive wrote:

  Bottle and fill excellent, cork was a little fungated, but extracted intact. Now here is a wine that requires consideration. Pale yellow color and seemed young. There were medicinal notes, pear, citrus, field grass and excellent acidity. This really evolved over time and there is nothing heavy or clumsy about it. Still very interesting the next day. So different from any other northern rhone I have had - a stark contrast to the 1991 Chave blanc and Chapoutier L'Oree. Very special and singular.

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