Domaine Georges VERNAY - Le Pied de Samson 2020
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.
Le Pied de Samson is made from Viognier, the vines of which are 20 years old. These vines above 300 meters in altitude were recently extracted from the appellation following the redistribution of the AOC Condrieu area. The grapes are harvested manually at full maturity and then put in direct pressing in whole harvest. The fermentation of clear juices after static settling in wooden vats lasts 3 to 4 weeks. The wine is aged for 6 months in wooden vats on fine lees.
Grape variety: 100% Viognier