Wine Region: Rhone Valley - France

Grape: Syrah, Viognier.

Tasting notes:

Robert Parker
'Continuing to drink beautifully, the 2011 Cote Rotie Maison Rouge (100% Syrah fermented with a small amount of stems) shows the sunny, forward nature of the vintage with its ripe black raspberry, strawberry, spring flowers and spice-laced bouquet. Medium-bodied, elegant and silky, with good ripeness, drink it anytime over the coming decade. The elevage was 20-35% new French oak, and this was also the first vintage where they utilized a newly purchased parcel in the Maison Rouge lieu-dit.'

About the winery: Domaine Georges Vernay is one of the oldest and most famous estates in Condrieu. Georges highly contributed to the reintroduction of Viognier on the hillsides of the region when in 1960’s the appellation used to cover only 8 hectares. 

Today the domaine is managed by Georges’ daughter Christine and her husband Paul. The vineyard covers 8 hectares in Condrieu, 2.5 hectares in Côte-Rôtie and 1.5 hectares in Saint-Joseph and the rest being located in IGP Collines Rhôdaniennes and Côtes-du-Rhône. Their Condrieu are made from vineyards in the heart of the appellation and all express the purest; most restrained expression of the Viognier grape.

For over 20 years, Christine Vernay has used organic farming methods. Considering herself as the custodian of a land for which she is responsible for caring, she has long been committed to organic farming, long before it was fashionable or urgent to do so. She has now successfully demonstrated that, while it is difficult to work the steeply sloping vineyards using organic farming, it is not impossible.

More about Domaine Georges Vernay here…