Before Georges Vernay founded his own domaine in 1950, Condrieu had almost become a thing of the past. Following phylloxera then two world wars, the cultivated area of the once famous appellation had dwindled down to around twenty acres; most of the terroir that had previously been dedicated to Viognier had been replanted with stone fruit orchards. This was also long before the rest of the world began planting Viognier in a predominantly unsuccessful effort to emulate a style set by Vernay himself. Georges purchased more land, handcrafted his wines as carefully as the domaine does today and lobbied his community to save their treasured local varietal. The geographically small appellation, next door to the famous Côte Rôtie, inevitably grew to 270 acres under vine and returned to its former glory, thanks to Georges. When his daughter, Christine, and her husband, Paul, took the reins upon Georges’ retirement in 1997, they were already at the helm of a globally revered family legacy. Over time, Christine and Paul have brought Domaine Georges Vernay’s reputation to even greater heights with their award-winning inclusion of Côte-Rôtie wines in the family line-up. All of their Northern Rhône wines are reflective of the terroir’s specific characteristics and beauty; this particular offer, however, encompasses all of that while undoubtedly delivering the greatest price-to-quality value for a Northern Rhône Viognier on the market.

 

This “vin de pays” designated wine is derived from the vineyard of its namesake, “Le Pied de Samson,” which translates to, “Samson’s foot,” because folklore tells of a giant named Samson that straddled the Rhône River to quench his thirst and left his footprint at the site of the parcel. The vines, once considered part of the Condrieu appellation, are perched above the hills of Condrieu and are no longer AOC permitted because they soar over the 300-meter limit in altitude. The site is farmed organically and maintained at extremely low yields, which delivers magnificent fruit of beautiful concentration coupled with moderate acidity thanks to the elevation. Grapes are harvested by hand, gently pressed then allowed to settle for 24 hours, after which the wine is fermented in large, neutral oak vats for 3-4 weeks. The wine is then aged sur lie in 2,000-liter neutral oak barrels where it ages until bottling the following summer. The result is an absolute full-bodied, oily and perfumed nectar that reveals a snapshot of this legendary producer at an affordable $30 price tag.