Domaine Georges Vernay : Les Terrasses de l'Empire 2024

Balances richness with freshness. Alluring honeysuckle and floral high tones give way to persimmon, orange and melon, all flecked with fresh fennel, dried thyme and oregano. Shows real concentration and vibrates with energy and bitter mineral notes, with just a touch of buttercream streaming through. The finish is long and complex. Drink now through 2030. 7,500 cases made, 756 cases imported.

The 2024 Condrieu les Terrasses de l'Empire, sourced from upper-slope parcels and younger vines from Vernon, was vinified in truncated wooden vats and matured in used barrels. It opens with an elegant, fresh and gourmand bouquet of honeysuckle, apricot and white fruits, complemented by delicate spicy nuances. Medium- to full-bodied, fleshy and dense, it’s enveloping and well-rounded yet retains sufficient tension on the finish to bring freshness and lift. Fine, floral and saline, it concludes with an ethereal finish and is already highly approachable, which is not always the case at this stage.