Domaine Georges Vernay : Blonde du Seigneur 2023

Characteristics and Tasting Notes for the Côte-Rôtie "Blonde du Seigneur" 2023 Domaine Georges Vernay

Tasting

Colour
With beautiful elegance, the colour reveals a deep, dark red hue, offering remarkable visual intensity without any heaviness.

Nose
Wonderfully precise, the bouquet opens with pronounced minerality and complex smoky aromas. It then reveals notes of black fruit, black olive and white pepper, enhanced by subtle floral touches of fresh violet brought by the Viognier.

Palate
The attack is round and elegant, introducing a palate with a complex and perfectly balanced structure. The silky, softened tannins provide a suave, fleshy sensation. The whole displays beautiful breadth before stretching into a very long mineral finish, marked by a refreshing tension.

Food and wine pairing

This cuvée pairs wonderfully with characterful meats and game, such as a rack of lamb, duck breast, venison haunch or coq au vin. It also brilliantly accompanies a rib of beef with porcini mushrooms, a morel fricassée, grilled vegetables or chocolate desserts.

Service and storage

For an optimal tasting experience of the Côte-Rôtie "Blonde du Seigneur" 2023, it is recommended to serve this wine at a temperature between 15 and 18°C, taking care to open the bottle one hour beforehand. While it already offers great pleasure in its youth, this vintage will reveal its full potential from 2026 onwards and can be kept until around 2038.

Other characteristics

This red wine from France has a moderate alcohol content ranging between 13% and 13.5%, contributing to its balance and harmonious aging.

The elegance and minerality of a Côte-Rôtie wine

The estate

Founded in 1938 by Francis Vernay, the Domaine Georges Vernay is an essential reference in the Rhône Valley. Located in Condrieu, this 24-hectare estate played a historic role in safeguarding the appellation under the impetus of Georges Vernay. Since 1996, Christine Vernay has raised the estate to new heights by introducing demanding environmental practices. Today, Emma Amsellem, representing the fourth generation, is at the helm of the estate. The estate stands out for its ecological commitment, having been certified organic since 2020 and biodynamic since 2023.

The vineyard

The grapes for this Côte-Rôtie cuvée come from vines averaging 25 years of age, planted on the granite soils of the Côte Blonde. This spectacular, rugged vineyard unfolds across terraces with steep, south-east-facing slopes. Due to this demanding topography, all work is carried out by hand, in strict accordance with the principles of organic and biodynamic farming, with no use of herbicides or insecticides.

Winemaking and aging

The grapes for the Côte-Rôtie "Blonde du Seigneur" 2023 are harvested by hand at full ripeness, in small crates. After destemming, the berries are vinified in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. Fermentation lasts two to three weeks, punctuated by gentle manual punching down and soft pumping-over to preserve the wine's balance. The wine is then aged for 18 months in Stockinger foudres and barrels that have previously held several wines, with only 25% new oak, before bottling around two years after the harvest.

Grape varieties

This cuvée comes from a co-fermentation of Syrah (95%) and Viognier (5%).