Domaine Georges Vernay Cote-Rotie Maison Rouge 2015

Domaine Georges Vernay Cote-Rotie Maison Rouge 2015

Densely textured showing concentrated black olives and savoury oak flavours, long, intense and layered.

Producer Note
Georges Vernay is known as the "King of Condrieu" and was responsible for the growth and worldwide recognition of this small appellation during the 1950s. His estate covers 22 hectares of vineyards, six of which are in the Côte Rôtie appellation. The steep and uneven vineyards make mechanical labour impossible. The vines are manually cultivated without the use of residual herbicide or insecticide. Georges' daughter, Christine, returned to her roots with Paul Anselem, her Parisian husband, and has looked after the winemaking since 1997, gaining worldwide recognition for her Côte Rôtie wines. In 2019, Domaine Georges Vernay was awarded the prestigious 3 stars by 'La Revue du Vin de France'.

Vintage
2015 was a cooler vintage, which allowed for a very slow maturation of the grapes, resulting in a beautiful freshness.

Vineyard
The name of the wine refers to a small red house situated at the foot of this impressively steep "lieu dit" or registered plot of 'Maison Rouge'. The vineyards are made up of two hectares of sandy, granite terraces located in the southern part of the appellation. Trained according to the Guyot simple method, the vines have an average age of 50 years and they have been planted to a density of 10,000 vines per hectare. Due to the steep nature of the slopes the vineyards are tended to by hand and the vineyards are managed without the use of weed killers. Treatments are carried out using organic products.

Winemaking
The grapes were destemmed before being placed into oak vats, where they were fermented for a period of three to four weeks. Maturation took place in oak barrels for 24 months, of which 30% were new.

Tasting Note
This Côte Rôtie is characterised by its combination of power with elegance. Pure, deep red fruits from old vines are supported by spicy aromas. Beautifully structured on the palate with silky, smooth tannins and toasted notes on the long, persistent finish.

Grape
Syrah 97%, Viognier 3%

Awards 17.5 Pts, Jancis Robinson , 2019