Condrieu 2011 "Coteau de Vernon" by Vernay

Vernay is one of the main producers of Condrieu in Rhone. The Viognier grape used in Condrieu gives remarkable aromatic wines that many can find a bit too much. The style really depends on the producers and this one is elegant, big but also very oppulent in style.

It is however a perfect match with Thai and Asian food and this 2011 was drunk with pork in caramel sauce which turned out to be a perfect combination.

Here are some tasting notes from the BBR web site:

These 80-year-old vines perch dangerously near the top of the commune of Vernon and sit right at the top of the Condrieu hierarchy. The wine flirts with perfection; it is antithetical to the deeply coloured and overly viscous Condrieus that one sometimes finds. This is the ‘real deal’; it is a wine of great, almost saline, depth and adamantine clarity.

The fruits of the labours of the eponymous Pape de Condrieu, now in the able hands of his daughter Christine and son-in-law Paul, continue to raise the bar for Viognier. Paul advises that the 2011 season was heterogène and tardive, before adding, with a twinkle in his eye, that he prefers later harvests. Complexity is engendered, and that famous mineral finish, re-defining any preconceived ideas that one may have had about Condrieu, is famous indeed this year.

Condrieu 2011 Coteau de Vernon
Georges Vernay
Ca 60€

More info Vernay's Condrieu
Vernay has three cuvees that are made from vineyards situated in Condrieu, the heart of the appellation, on south to southeast facing steep slopes, and all express the purest; most restrained expression of the Viognier grape. From top to bottom: Côteau de Vernon, created in 1940 by Christine’s grand-father Francis, is the reference amongst all Condrieu: 60 years old vines on decomposed granite locally called “gore”, is a wine of great personality and definition and has on numerous occasion shown a surprising ability to age;

Chaillées de l’Enfer, made from 50 years old vines. Chaillées is the local name for small terraces which are so steep that working here is particularly arduous. This is an early ripening site and yields a wine which has more opulence, richness than the former; Terrasses de l’Empire, made from 40 years old vines is a great introduction to Condrieu, offering early approachability

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