Côte-Rôtie Georges Vernay 2017

Lot presentation

Côte-Rôtie Georges Vernay 2017

The wine

The estate, named after the winemaker Georges Vernay – deceased in 2017 – who took the estate to great heights, offers us a red Côte-Rôtie of the highest quality. Just like him, his daughter is driven by the desire to tame the steep terraces of the appellation without, however, denying the identity of the terroir. This is achieved largely through certified organic, hand-grown methods that leave no room for chemicals. The Syrah grapes used to make this cuvée were encouraged to draw the nutrients necessary for them to thrive from soils consisting of gneiss, sand, clay, granite, limestone and iron oxide, in a semi-continental climate with Mediterranean influences.
Designed for ageing for around twenty years, this wine presents a dense, intense, almost black colour. Notes of red and black fruit, sweet spices, tobacco, cocoa, coffee, humus, leather and fur rise from the glass. The tannins abound and are prominent yet beautifully delicate. A fine Wine without the slightest doubt!

“I liked the wines that came from the slopes, I found those from the plains very average”. These words of Georges Vernay sum up his contribution to Condrieu. Thanks to Georges, the abandoned, steep slopes here were given new life in the 1960s. In fact, this determined man had the genius intuition to cultivate vines on the “chaillées”, or terraces, aptly known as the “chaillées de l'enfer” (terraces from hell)! The history of this property goes back to 1938 when Francis Vernay planted his first hectare of Viognier. Georges Vernay joined in 1943 and expanded the estate by buying some parcels. He opened a tasting room that earned him a loyal English customer base. From 1943 to 2010, the estate went from 1 to 24 hectares, 17 of which are located on steep slopes. The vines are spread across three appellations: Condrieu (10ha), Côte-Rôtie (6ha) and Saint-Joseph (2ha), with 2 IGP wine made from Syrah and Viognier (6ha). Since his death in 2017, it has been his daughter Christine who has kept the family tradition alive alongside her daughter, Emma.