Domaine Georges Vernay

Francis Vernay moved into a house on the Vernon property in 1936; the Vernay family worked the Coteau de Vernon, growing vines alongside other crops. He created the domaine in Condrieu in 1937, planting his first vines on the Coteau de Vernon lieu-dit, and in 1940 he launched the domaine's first cuvée, Coteau de Vernon. His son Georges Vernay (1926-2017) took over in 1953 with one hectare on the Coteau de Vernon. Georges cleared the other fruits and vegetables to concentrate solely on wine, cleared oak and acacia woodland from the slope, built terraces and planted another hectare. In 1970 the domaine bought a small parcel of the Maison Rouge lieu-dit in Côte-Rôtie. In 1992 Georges created a second Condrieu cuvée, Les Chaillées de l'Enfer, named for the terraces above the Rhône. When he retired in 1996, his daughter Christine Vernay took over. After the Vernon property was sold at the end of the 1990s, she acquired the whole of it. The market square in Condrieu bears Georges Vernay's name.

• 1937: Francis Vernay created the domaine and planted his first vines on the Coteau de Vernon; 1940: first cuvée, Coteau de Vernon.
• 1953: Georges Vernay took over with one hectare on the Coteau de Vernon; 1960: a second hectare of the Coteau de Vernon was planted.
• 1970: purchase of a small parcel of the Maison Rouge lieu-dit in Côte-Rôtie; 1992: Georges created Les Chaillées de l'Enfer.
• 1996: Christine Vernay took over from her father.

The Condrieu appellation dates from 1940. In 1960 it included seven hectares of Viognier, believed to be some of the only commercially planted Viognier left in the world at the time; it reached 20 hectares in 1986 and 60 hectares in 1990. Georges Vernay was president of the Condrieu growers' association for 30 years. Decanter called him 'one of the men who saved Condrieu in the Northern Rhône and put Viognier on the world wine map in the process.' The domaine credits him with having saved the Condrieu appellation and the Viognier grape, and he was known as 'le Pape du Condrieu'.

• 1960: seven hectares of Viognier in the Condrieu appellation; 20 hectares in 1986 and 60 hectares in 1990.
• Georges Vernay was president of the Condrieu growers' association for 30 years.

As of 2026, Christine Vernay directs the domaine, which she has run since 1996: she sets its direction, takes the decisions, leads the teams and above all makes the wines. For the first ten years she ran the vineyard and winemaking work alone; in 2006 her brother Luc joined her for the vineyard work, which he did until her daughter Emma arrived in 2020. Emma joined in the autumn of 2020; she is learning to run the domaine, handles the sale of the wines and works above all in the vineyards, developing biodynamic farming. As of 2015, Christine Vernay managed the estate alongside her husband, Paul Amsellem. Christine Vernay was elected to the Académie du Vin de France in 2014. Depending on the time of year, up to forty people work at the domaine.

• Christine Vernay: has run the domaine and made its wines since 1996.
• Emma, Christine's daughter: joined in autumn 2020; sales and vineyard work.
• Luc, Christine's brother: vineyard work from 2006 until 2020.
• Christine Vernay was elected to the Académie du Vin de France in 2014.

The domaine farms 24 hectares, 17 of them on steep slopes, across three appellations and two IGP wines: Condrieu (10 ha), Côte-Rôtie (6 ha), Saint-Joseph (2 ha) and IGP Syrah and Viognier (6 ha). The Vernon lieu-dit lies in the heart of the village of Condrieu on biotite granite. Les Chaillées de l'Enfer comes from the La Caille lieu-dit, and Terrasses de l'Empire from La Caille and Sainte-Agathe, also in the heart of the village on biotite granite. In Côte-Rôtie, Maison Rouge comes from the Maison Rouge lieu-dit in the commune of Tupin, in the granitic south of the appellation; Blonde du Seigneur comes from the Lancement, Maison Rouge and Coteau de Bassenon lieux-dits, only in the south of the appellation. The Saint-Joseph vines lie in the commune of Chavanay, in the north of that appellation. The steep vineyards make any mechanisation impossible; depending on the plot, the soil is worked by pickaxe, winch, horse or wire.

• Condrieu 10 ha, Côte-Rôtie 6 ha, Saint-Joseph 2 ha, IGP Syrah and Viognier 6 ha; 17 of the 24 ha are on steep slopes.
• Condrieu lieux-dits: Vernon, La Caille and Sainte-Agathe, on biotite granite.
• Côte-Rôtie lieux-dits: Maison Rouge (Tupin), Lancement and Coteau de Bassenon, in the south of the appellation.
• Saint-Joseph lieux-dits: Boissey, Vessettes and Ribaudy, in the commune of Chavanay.

Christine Vernay committed to organic farming when she took over in 1996, and applied for organic certification in 2015; the domaine has been certified organic (AB) since 2020. The whole vineyard is now farmed biodynamically, and the domaine is certified Biodyvin. Treatments are applied by hand with backpack sprayers: Maria Thun cow-pat compost in spring and autumn, horn manure (500) and horn silica (501) in spring, and horsetail after fruit set. Cover crops and mulches are used, and sheep graze the grassed vineyards. Since 2015 the vines have been pruned with a gentle method that respects sap flow, and replanting uses massal selection, work carried out with Lilian Bérillon. The Coteau de Vernon was badly hit by the frost of 8 April 2020. In early 2023 an orchard of old fruit-tree varieties was replanted on the Coteau de Vernon to encourage biodiversity.

• Committed to organic farming in 1996; certification applied for in 2015 and held (AB) since 2020.
• The whole vineyard is farmed biodynamically; the domaine is certified Biodyvin.
• Massal selection with Lilian Bérillon; gentle pruning since 2015.
• Soils worked by pickaxe, winch, horse or wire, with cover crops, mulch and sheep.

All the wines come from the domaine's own grapes, and it has no négoce activity. Harvest is by hand, plot by plot, in small crates. White grapes are pressed directly as whole bunches; after static settling, the whites are matured in wooden vats, barrels or partly in foudres on fine lees, with lees stirring for some cuvées. Barrels and foudres are French oak. Coteau de Vernon and Les Chaillées de l'Enfer are matured for 15 months in 15-hectolitre Stockinger foudres and barrels with 10% new wood. Maison Rouge is vinified in foudres and open barrels with 30% whole bunches and matured for 24 months in barrels with 10% new wood. The domaine has its own bottling line; bottling takes place on windless days, preferably fruit days with a rising moon. The cellar was extended in 2019 with a wood-and-straw building, a wood-pellet boiler and rooftop solar panels. Since the 2022 vintage, some cuvées have been closed with beeswax stoppers.

• Hand harvest, plot by plot, in small crates; the domaine's own grapes only.
• Whites: direct whole-bunch pressing, static settling, maturation on fine lees in wood.
• Coteau de Vernon and Les Chaillées de l'Enfer: 15 months in 15 hl Stockinger foudres and barrels (10% new).
• Maison Rouge: 30% whole bunches, 24 months in barrel (10% new).

The domaine makes ten cuvées and about 100,000 bottles. Its Condrieu wines are 100% Viognier: Coteau de Vernon, from vines averaging 50 to 80 years planted at 10,000 vines per hectare; Les Chaillées de l'Enfer, from vines averaging 50 years; and Terrasses de l'Empire, from vines averaging 35 years, matured for 10 months in 20-hectolitre truncated-cone wooden vats and barrels. In Côte-Rôtie it makes Maison Rouge, 100% Syrah from vines averaging 50 years, and Blonde du Seigneur, 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier from vines averaging 40 years, matured for 18 months. Its Saint-Joseph wines are 100% Syrah: Dame Brune, from vines averaging 45 years and matured for 24 months, and Terres d'Encre, from vines averaging 30 years and matured for 12 months without new wood. Under IGP Collines Rhodaniennes it makes Le Pied de Samson from Viognier and Sainte-Agathe and Fleurs de Mai from Syrah.

• Condrieu: Coteau de Vernon, Les Chaillées de l'Enfer, Terrasses de l'Empire.
• Côte-Rôtie: Maison Rouge, Blonde du Seigneur (95% Syrah, 5% Viognier).
• Saint-Joseph: Dame Brune, Terres d'Encre.
• IGP Collines Rhodaniennes: Le Pied de Samson (Viognier), Sainte-Agathe and Fleurs de Mai (Syrah).

Christine Vernay has said: 'I don't look for body-builder wines,' and for her 'Syrah is the cousin of Pinot Noir.' Writing in Decanter, Matt Walls called the house style 'lean and tailored, even for Condrieu,' and found a 1996 Coteau du Vernon 'still delicious and full of life.' In the domaine's own description, Coteau de Vernon shows yellow fruit, fresh or candied citrus and exotic fruit with fine bitterness, alongside freshness, herbal and menthol notes and white flowers.

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://domainevernay.com/, https://domainevernay.com/histoire/, https://domainevernay.com/christine_vernay/, https://domainevernay.com/le-vignoble/, https://domainevernay.com/nos_vins/, https://domainevernay.com/vinification_elevage/, https://domainevernay.com/valeurs_equipes/, https://domainevernay.com/vernon/, https://domainevernay.com/les-partis-pris/, https://domainevernay.com/un-domaine-eco-responsable/, and the domaine's technical sheets (PDF) at https://domainevernay.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/ for Coteau de Vernon, Chaillées de l'Enfer, Terrasses de l'Empire, Maison Rouge, Blonde du Seigneur, Dame Brune, Terres d'Encre, Pied de Samson, Sainte-Agathe and Fleurs de Mai. Secondary sources: Decanter (Yohan Castaing, last updated 23 May 2017; Matt Walls, originally published 2015, last updated 20 November 2019). Last verified 2026-10-14. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.