Domaine Georges Vernay is located in the town of Condrieu, in the north of the Rhône Valley. The estate was created in 1937 by Francis Vernay, with the first plantings in the locality of Coteau de Vernon. In 1940, he launched the now legendary first cuvée named “Coteau de Vernon”. In 1953, Georges Vernay took over from his father, he is recognised to having “saved” the Condrieu appellation and became the leader of an entire generation that after him would make this terroir one of the most recognised in the world. At the time, the Viognier grape variety was abandoned but Georges Vernay replanted his lands and revitalised them. Since 1996, Christine Vernay is the third generation of the Vernay family to manage the estate. After running the estate alone for over 10 years, Christine is now assisted in the vineyard by her younger brother Luc Vernay, who manages and supervises the field teams. For over 20 years, Christine Vernay has used organic farming methods, the entire estate is now certified. While she believes that organic farming is an ethical issue, she is moving towards biodynamics as a philosophy.
Coteau de Vernon is made from 50-to-80-years-old Viognier, from 2.5 hectares in south and south-east facing terraces on biotite granite soils in the Condrieu appellation. The grapes are hand-harvested at full maturity, then the whole bunches are directly pressed and fermented in barrels. The ageing is carried out in barrels, on fine lees for 12 to 18 months, with 25% of new wood.
