Founded in the late 1930s by Georges Vernay — the man known as the great father of the Condrieu denomination, who single-handedly saved the appellation from extinction in the 1960s when only a handful of hectares remained under vine — the estate claims as its crown jewel the steeply graded granite slopes of the Coteau de Vernon. Christine Vernay took the reins as the third generation in 1996 and has since welcomed her daughter Emma into the fields and cellar. Les Terrasses de l’Empire is sourced from younger-vine parcels at lieu-dits La Caille and Sainte-Agathe, located in the heart of the village of Condrieu, on mostly granite soils with some mica and schist. The estate was certified organic in 2020. All vineyard work is entirely manual on steep terraced slopes inaccessible to machinery.

Bottled in June 2021, the 2020 Condrieu Les Terrasses de l’Empire is floral up front, plump and frankly delicious, delivering plenty of ripe pineapple and apricot flavors, ample weight and richness on the palate and a long finish tinged with hints of fresh ginger and cracked pepper. A terrific Condrieu ideal for drinking over the coming 4–5 years.