100% Viognier. 1.8ha, north (Saint-Michel-sur-Rhône), south-facing vineyard adjacent to Château-Grillet.
25 years old. Granite soil. Barrel fermentation. Aged in barrels (30% new barrels, 75% old barrels 3-5 years old). Production volume 1,800 bottles. Born in 1962, Mr. Villars is one of the most highly regarded winemakers in the Rhone in recent years and one of the leading winemakers in the region. The Villars family has been farmers for generations and were not involved in winemaking. He has been involved in winemaking since he was 15 years old and experienced sommelier in his early 20s. He has had friendships with famous sommeliers, and based on that, he studied cultivation and brewing, aiming to make the ideal wine. He first purchased a vineyard in Condrieu in 1989, and since his first release in 1992, he has received high praise from various countries and fields, and has now earned two stars in Meilleur Vins de France.
The estate owns vineyards in Côte Rotie, Condrieu and Saint-Joseph (Vins de Pays). In order to fully ripen the grapes, the harvest is very late and the yield is low (30hl/ha), resulting in more concentrated and ripe grapes. The grapes are carefully selected at harvest and before fermentation, and then fermentation begins.
Since 2019, grapes have been grown entirely using organic methods.
In recent years, he has established himself as one of the leading domaines in the Northern Rhone, and many vignerons look up to his wines.