Domaine Georges Vernay, Condrieu, Les Chaillees L'Enfer

My first older Condrieu. Immediate reaction is that it smells like good, fizzless champagne. Deeper sniffing and I can see the gingerbread-nutmeg-saffron comparison that people talk about. Richer on the palate and long finish. Opened alongside a much younger condrieu and will be interesting to see how they evolve.

2014 vintage

Kanves dinner : Brought for a friend. Dark golden hue but wine was still fresh. Aromatic nose with honeysuckle and orange peel notes, palate was opulent and concentrated but with good acidity for a Condrieu. Nothing over-the-top or flabby, showed why the only northern Rhone white that I drink is Vernay.

2014 vintage

Moderate golden color, has a nice crushed fruit/mineral nose, with a hint of fall spice; nicely rich on the palate, a bit more than I expected for this house, but really lovely fruit, not at all lush or overly ripe, balanced by some chalky mineral, some light notes of baking spice, and a nice touch of bitter on the finish to balance the opening richness. Quite delicious,

2014 vintage

Beautiful golden color. Absolutely delicious on the nose with complex ripe fruit salad, some honey, stony notes and minerals. There is very faint nuttiness that could be from oak or age. On the palate it is rich but relatively light and with astounding freshness. While it doesn’t feel like having high acidity per se the energy it possesses is top shelf for a Condrieu, let alone ten year old one. Still very youthful with plenty of upside, but massively delicious …

2014 vintage

There is a complex and layered nose of honey, ginger, aromatic flowers and citrus. There is remarkably fresh acidity that cuts through the waxy texture of the wine and provides definition to the pronounced mineral flavors. Great precision and linearity. More about the wet rocks than the fruit here, and incredibly complex and layered.

2014 vintage

Really lovely wine with both white and yellow peach, buttered popcorn, limestone, cherry pit, tangerine peel, and a hint of brown spice. There is just a touch of heat on the long finish. The buttered popcorn note is particularly interesting as it is definitely there both on the nose and on the finish, but basically nowhere to be found on the mid palate. Surprisingly youthful for an 11 year old dry white, but I do NOT think this is going …

2014 vintage

100% organically farmed Viognier from vineyards averaging 45 yo. Fermented in oak barrels for 4-5 weeks. Aged for approximately months in foudres and barriques (approximately 20% new). 14% alcohol. Luminous, intense neon yellow-green color. The nose feels ripe, concentrated and slightly evolved with sweetish aromas of juicy apricots, some chopped almonds, light apple jam tones, a little bit of acacia honey, tertiary hints of roasted nuts and malt syrup and a mineral touch of wet rocks. The wine feels broad, …

2014 vintage

Absolutely FANTASTIC ! Marvellous colours, Mineral and fruity. What a pleasure to drink such a wine !

2014 vintage

Pausing for the Cause Fundraiser and Dinner (Obelix - Chicago IL) : Bright lemon with lemon curd, supported with the most faint tropical notes. Still wonderfully fresh with very good depth.

2012 vintage

Ripe stone fruit with lemon pie and floral notes, all still nicely bright and very long. Why can’t more producers make Condrieu that drinks this well at 10+ years?

2012 vintage

Complex nose with notes of lemon, tangerine, honey, peach, and mandarin peel. Good acidity on the palate with lots of fruit flavors, more mandarin, citrus zest, a bit more honey and stone fruit. Long finish. This was excellent, there is so much going on yet it never felt unbalanced.

2014 vintage

SQN Dinner (Jordan's Place - Chicago IL) : Ripe stone fruit while also bright and linear. Very long finish, wonderfully fresh. A big step up from the previous bottle form the same case.

2012 vintage

Mouton dinner (La Chaumiere in Georgetown) : Golden color which is a bit of concern. Beautiful complex nose displaying sweet yellow fruit, peach, lychee, candied orange peel, honey, caramel, coriander seed and sweet spices. There is a strong “Condrieu” floral note which I didn’t find from the last bottle. Fully integrated palate, very finely layered sweet yellow fruit, rich and deeply toned but also showing a good balance and precision, medium acidity, not showing much mineral, and a long ripe …

2014 vintage

Should have paid better attention to my last note. Nice, but slightly over the hill for my palate. Still excellent with food, but I like more fruit and florals than nuts and honey with my Condrieu.

2014 vintage

Elegant power house. Herbs and flowers. Long.

2014 vintage

TRES belle bouteille bue avec des huitres: une robe jaune paille translucide éblouissante, un nez très riche. A la bouche, minéralité et floralité. A consommer avec modération...

2014 vintage

A late night curveball from a sommelier and absolutely brilliant. Bright, fresh, ripe. Smells, tastes, and feels like white burgundy. No oily viscous texture here or undue weight or alcohol. Notes from memory. Lemon citrus.

2012 vintage

Still nicely fresh with ripe apple, even if slightly simple, but enough energy to keep it bright.

2012 vintage

Lovely floral, almost gewurztraminer nose, somewhat unusual viognier, with a restrained richness, beautiful underlying minerality, and unusually strong acidity, almost a lime phosphate note. Complexity and interest abound here, just beautiful wine in what must have been a difficult vintage.

2014 vintage

Tasted blind. The nose was beautiful with complex flavors of orange, flowers, and citrus. There's so much going on, but it's not over-the-top. Good acidity on the palate with stone fruit and oranges. It's rich and slightly decadent without being heavy. Long finish. Excellent wine, in a perfect spot right now.

2014 vintage

immensely complex and wonderfully made wine. Expensive but worth as a treat. Exotic nose and palate. Needs atleast 3 hour decant to drink well

2014 vintage

Needs to be consumed now, IMO. Nice ginger, apple and lemon but it seems like the energy is beginning to fade.

2014 vintage

Elegant nose, subtle floral notes, oyster shell and hints of apricot and pineapple. First you taste coconut, floral notes and dried apricot in a creamy texture. Theo Starts a Saline Mineralität attack which addsnlots of freshnes. The finish Linders Long with hints of coconut and apricot. Textbook-Condrieu!

2014 vintage

Not sure it is past its prime - but it was lovely, crisp flavors of quince and apple.

2012 vintage

Amazing how well these age

2012 vintage

Very good, but at the upper limit of age for a condrieu and my palate. On the nose: honey, almond, tangerine, honeysuckle, candied ginger. On the palate, good acid, tangerine oil infused with herbs, pickled ginger...amazing density, and showing a lovely salinity and savory character on the finish.

2014 vintage

Starting to show ripe yellow fruit, yellow peach dominates, a hint of candied orange peel, honey, sweet and spicy spices, and mineral. Excellent concentration, rich sweet yellow fruit, deeply toned, medium acidity and a medium to long ripe yellow peach driven finish with tea and orange peel at the end. It no longer displays the floral note of Condrieu.

2014 vintage

Lightly corked. Very sad.

2014 vintage

Pnp. My kind of white. Semi sweet, apricot fruit, brilliant bright golden color, no imperfections.

2014 vintage

Lost Friday afternoon gathering – 08 Cristal and Dom, Raveneau, Rayas, Chevillon, Gouges and etc. (Black Salt, Washington DC) : Expressive nose displaying opulent yellow fruit, peach, lychee, orange blossom tea per Bill, candied orange peel, honey, spicy spices and mineral. Excellent concentration, nicely layered concentrated yellow fruit, rich and deeply toned, good acidity and mineral, and a long deeply toned yellow fruit driven finish with lychee and tea at the end. This seems more precise, i.e. more acidic and …

2014 vintage

Beautiful nose: floral, citrus rind, quite intense and pure. far better balanced than any Condrieu I have ever tasted; sufficient acidity to keep it crisp and focused. More moderate alcohol than most. Combining elegance and intensity in a very harmonious way. I don't really see how this wine can get much better, but it should hold on for a while.

2014 vintage

Massive attack upon entry. This wine explodes with complexity in your mouth. From the floral to the mineral notes, this is compelling. It hits you with precision. Very enjoyable while young, can't imagine with a few years of age. Great, elegant wine.

2014 vintage

Mature. Just hints of oxidation, but the wine remains fresh and full, very much on the minerals, honey galore, broad wine, good acidity; very good with the cheese. Drink up within a couple of years. #LaVillaret

2006 vintage

1996 DOMAINE GEORGES VERNAY LES CHAILLEES de L`ENFER CONDRIEU- honeyed stone fruit notes prevailed and was delivered in a medium textured body which extended the palate crossing to the back end; although there was no notation of residual sugar, it certainly seamed to have some; nonetheless, it was delightful.

1996 vintage

January Wine Group Dinner (Campagna at the Bedford Post Inn) : Golden colored and showing its maturity, this was an enjoyable wine that had some interesting tea leaf and not quite fresh cut flower notes. A touch long in the tooth but still fairly vivacious. Tasty.

2006 vintage

Hay yellow; lots of green apples, exotic fruit, a bit of wet stone and ventil rubber; rich complex taste with an oxidative nature and bready; not the usual light and easy Condrieu style; house style or oxized? Don't know; interesting, special, not spoiled, clearly should go with food, the Matriciana we had is a good match

2012 vintage

More yellow fruited than the Cuilleron Condrieu, lusher texture and more sweetness. Typical almondy viognier palate, exotic. Rich and lush but not overdone.

2012 vintage

Light yellow. Lower pitched citrus nose-none of the usual Viognier perfume or florality. Interesting juxtaposition of fairly viscous entry and back end lightness and strong soil tones with acidity to balance. Orange oil flavors. This is profound for the grape and pretty unique stuff.

2012 vintage

2012 Northern Rhones: Georges Vernay and Vincent Paris (Bistro 7 (7 N. 3rd St., Philadelphia)) : Stellar. Sweet melon, cantaloupe, floral and light "feeling" but powerful with good weight and concentration. Good acidity.

2012 vintage

Lovely stuff. Almost burgundian; complex subtle flavours, no oiliness. Superb with potted shrimps. To be sipped and savoured.

2006 vintage

Floral nose. Rich taste of honey, peach, and some pleasantly tart kumquat, which becomes a bracing finish of acidity that goes well with food. Lasting finish.

2006 vintage

David Bowler Spring Tasting; 3/26/2008-3/30/2008 (Tribecca Grill) : ripe rich wine. great balance. lovely ripe fruit. the finish is medium but thats the nature of the beast it seems.

2006 vintage

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Domaine Georges Vernay, Condrieu, Les Chaillees L'Enfer

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