Domaine Georges Vernay Condrieu Les Chaillees de l'Enfer 2019
(Northern Rhone, France) - [JD 95] [WA 94]
Regular price $200.00 Sale price $149.97 Save $50.03
About the Winery:
Domaine Georges Vernay is the heart and soul of Condrieu. For more than forty vintages, the late Georges Vernay was the towering figure in the appellation — nicknamed “the Pope of Condrieu” and “Mr. Viognier” — credited with saving both Condrieu and the Viognier grape from near-extinction after the area under vine had shrunk to just 7 hectares by 1960. He began working alongside his father Francis in 1944, went on to serve 30 years as president of Condrieu's grower association, pioneered the appellation's elegantly dry, long-lived style, and supplied Viognier cuttings to growers elsewhere to help preserve the variety. Georges died in 2017 at age 92, having passed the torch to his daughter Christine, who has run the domaine since 1997 and, by most accounts, has brought it to even greater heights.
About This Wine:
Les Chaillées de l'Enfer is sourced from ancient vines on the vertiginous Vernon slope, adjacent to the domaine's legendary Coteau de Vernon, where Condrieu's most elegant, mineral wines are found. The unique arzelle topsoil — weathered granite and schist over clay — is, in Georges's own words, “the vine's natural home.” Yields are kept very low, and Christine Vernay presses whole clusters for aromatic complexity before fermenting and aging the wine in barrel and foudre, with malolactic fermentation blocked to preserve freshness and acidity.
Ratings & Reviews
95 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"The 2019 Condrieu Les Chaillees De L'Enfer is a step up. From a site next to Vernon and brought up in foudre and barrel (15% new), its medium gold hue is followed by a terrific nose of white peach, hints of orange blossom, flowers, and honeysuckle, with just a kiss of toasty nuances. It too holds onto a terrific sense of purity and freshness and has a great finish. It never has the weight or density of the Coteau de Vernon but has a more vibrant style all its own. It's a gorgeous wine." -Jeb Dunnuck (Feb 2022)
94 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"From the mid-slope portion of the lieu-dit of La Caille, from vines planted in the 1960s and '70s, the 2019 Condrieu les Chaillees de l'Enfer ratchets up the intensity over the entry-level Les Terrasses de l'Enfer. Rich, ripe notes of melon and apricot are joined by hints of spring flowers and toasted grain (this cuvée spends a year in a mix of foudre and barrique, 20% new). It's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and opulent, balanced by a long, spicy finish." -Joe Czerwinski (Jan 2022)