Georges Vernay, Condrieu Les Terrasses de L'Empire, 2023
Domaine Georges Vernay is the estate credited with saving Condrieu — when Georges took over in the 1950s, the appellation was down to a handful of hectares of Viognier. Today his daughter Christine runs the domaine and farms it organically. Les Terrasses de l'Empire is the entry point into her range, but 'entry' is relative: the fruit comes from a patchwork of plots within Condrieu, with vines averaging around thirty-five years old on the appellation's signature granite-and-mica arzelle soils. Whole-cluster pressed and aged in barrel with the lees, it's a Condrieu of lift and detail — apricot and white flowers carried by salinity rather than weight, and the perfect introduction to one of France's most quietly profound white wines.
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Domaine Georges Vernay is the estate credited with saving Condrieu — when Georges took over in the 1950s, the appellation was down to a handful of hectares of Viognier. Today his daughter Christine runs the domaine and farms it organically. Les Terrasses de l'Empire is the entry point into her range, but 'entry' is relative: the fruit comes from a patchwork of plots within Condrieu, with vines averaging around thirty-five years old on the appellation's signature granite-and-mica arzelle soils. Whole-cluster pressed and aged in barrel with the lees, it's a Condrieu of lift and detail — apricot and white flowers carried by salinity rather than weight, and the perfect introduction to one of France's most quietly profound white wines.
