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Tasting Notes
Full bodied with a slightly oily texture, the wine has complexity from peach, fig, melon, and perfume, along with subtle citrus, hay, minerality and vanilla that extend into the lengthy finish.
Body is the impression of a wines weight, density, or its ‘mouth-feel’. Some wines feel weighty, or full bodied, while others feel light bodied. Wine runs the gamut from light to full, with most falling somewhere in between.
ACIDITY
Low
Moderate
Balanced
Crisp
High
Acidity is a foundational component in wine. In fact, low acidity, or ‘flabby’ wine (as the term suggests) is a negative. You can sense acidity mainly on the sides of your tongue. Acidity generally ranges from balanced to high. Crisp acidity adds freshness, making your mouth water. Acidity is a necessary element and helps to balance other components.
SWEETNESS
Dry
Off Dry
Medium Dry
Medium Sweet
Very Sweet
Most wines are characterized as dry to off-dry, but there are some grape varietals, like Riesling, that run the gamut from dry to sweet. The tip of the tongue mainly detects sweetness, which is why it is often the primary characteristic detected. Sweetness is derived from residual sugar that did not ferment into alcohol.
ALCOHOL
14.5%
Alcohol is the by-product of fermentation. Differing grape varieties have differing potential alcohol levels, but regardless warmer areas result in riper grapes resulting in higher alcohol. Alcohol level is an objective number, but its affect on its palate impression is largely determined with how well integrated and balanced it is with other components.
One of the standard bearers of Condrieu, Christine Vernay is the producer behind this benchmark bottling.
GRAPE VARIETAL(S)
Viognier
100%Vyo-NYAY
Viognier almost went extinct in the 1960s, but has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity. Although grown around the word, it is most famous for the full bodied intensely aromatic floral white wines with a sometimes oily texture grown on granite terraces in Condrieu, and small amount to Syrah in Côte Rôtie, just north of Condrieu, adding aromatic complexity.
Domaine Georges Vernay is located in the heart of Condrieu and is the area’s reference standard dating back to 1940. Francis Vernay, and later Georges Vernay, played a critical role in restricting the limits of Condrieu to the best granite slopes, even at a cost to his own vineyard holdings.
Christine Vernay in Winery
Georges retired in the early nineties with the future somewhat adrift. That was until his daughter Christine returned home in 1996 and assumed control of the estate, taking the wines to new heights while expanding their offerings.
Domaine Georges Vernay now organically farms vineyards in St. Joseph, Côte-Rôtie, and, of course, Condrieu, with one of the best expressions of viognier that one can find. All of the wines of George Vernay are precise and pure, showcasing the complex fruit of their respective terroirs.
Peach
Perfume
Vanilla
Organic
