Domaine Georges VERNAY - Maison Rouge 1997
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 his first plantations in the locality of Coteau de Vernon. In 1940, he launched the now legendary grand cuvée called “Coteau de Vernon”. In 1953, Georges Vernay succeeded his father, he is recognized for having “saved” the Condrieu appellation and became the leader of an entire generation who after him would make this terroir one of the most recognized in the world. At the time, the Viognier grape variety was abandoned but Georges Vernay replanted his land and revitalized the grape variety. Since 1996, Christine Vernay has been the third generation of the Vernay family to manage the estate. After running the estate alone for more than 10 years, Christine is today assisted in the vineyard by her younger brother Luc Vernay , who manages and supervises the field teams. For more than 20 years, Christine Vernay has used organic farming methods , the entire estate has been certified since 2017 . While she believes organic farming is an ethical issue, she leans toward biodynamics as a philosophy.
Maison Rouge is made from Syrah vines aged 50 years, planted in the town of Maison Rouge in Côte-Rôtie . The grapes are harvested by hand when fully ripe, then partially destemmed and fermented in barrels for 3 to 4 weeks. The wine matures in barrels for 24 months , with 30% new wood .
Grape variety: 100% Syrah