Domaine de Cristia in Châteauneuf du Pape | The Guide

Estate presentation

Visit Cristia Estate was founded around 1942 by Etienne Grangeon. The estate takes its name from the locality, Le Cristia, where they have part of their vineyard. The vineyard is not far from the village of Courthezon, where the estate is located.

Initially, the Châteauneuf du Pape of Domaine Cristia owned about two hectares of Grenache vines in the south of the Rhone Valley . Initially, like most producers in the appellation, their wines were sold in bulk to merchants.

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Domaine Cristia wines

Domaine de Cristia produces 3 red Châteauneuf du Pape wines and 2 white Châteauneuf du Pape wines . They also produce a kosher cuvée.

• Le Domaine de Cristia Chateauneuf du Pape red

This great wine is 85% Grenache, 15% Syrah, although some vintages have included Mourvèdre in the blend. The average age of the vines used varies from 50 to 100 years. The terroir is pure sandy soil. The vines are planted in the Crista vineyard. Grapes are destemmed at 100%. Vinification takes place in concrete vats. The Grenache is aged in vats, while the Syrah is aged in foudre for 18 months before bottling. Production is around 3,000 cases per year.

 

• Domaine de Cristia Cuvée Renaissance

It's a blend of 60% 100-year-old Grenache and 40% Mourvèdre. Although in certain vintages, Syrah is often added to the blend.

The terroir consists of sandy soils in the Cristia and Font du Loup districts. The Grenache is aged in demi-muids, and the Syrah and Mourvèdre can be aged up to 33% in new French oak barrels for 18 months before bottling. On average, 500 cases are produced each year.

 

• Domaine de Cristia Cuvée Vieilles Vignes

This is clearly their best wine. The most prestigious cuvée. The wine is made from 70-80 year-old Grenache 100% vines. Some vines are even older. The vines come from their own plots planted in the sandy soils of the Cristia locality. The grapes are destemmed at 100%. The wine is aged for 18 months in a combination of demi-muids, 34% new French oak barrels and used French oak barrels. Only 250 cases of Domaine de Cristia Cuvée Vieilles Vignes are produced each year.

 

• Le Domaine de Cristia Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc

A blend of 30% Grenache Blanc, 30% Clairette , 30% Roussane and 10% Bourboulenc. 90% of the wine is aged in steel vats and 10% in new French oak barrels for 8 months. 425 cases are produced each year.

 

 

• Le Domaine de Cristia Vieilles Vignes White

This is one of the rare Châteauneuf du Pape white wines made from 100% Grenache Blanc grapes. The vines are 55 to 85 years old. The modern-style wine is aged in 100% new French oak barrels for 8 months. Only 100 cases are produced each vintage.

 

 

• Le Grand Pin / La Guigasse: Chapelle St. Théodoric

Le Grand Pin" is a red wine also produced by Domaine Cristia. It comes from a plot called "Pignan", next to Rayas and Cristia. The "La Guigasse" cuvée is produced from a parcel with a similar name, but located 200 m further north. Le Grand Pin has fine sand terroirs, while La Guigasse is on clay and sand terroirs. These two wines, with their atypical styles for the appellation, are vinified exclusively from whole grapes. This cuvée is increasingly sought-after by connoisseurs of fine Rhône Valley wines.

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How to serve and enjoy Domaine de Cristia wines?

Visit Cristia Estate can be appreciated on the young side. Young vintages can be poured straight from the bottle, or decanted for around 1-2 hours. This allows the wine to open up its fragrance. The old vintages may require very little decanting, just enough to remove sediment. It's generally best with 3-5 years of bottle age. Of course, this may vary slightly depending on the vintage. In the best vintages, the wine should be consumed within 4-20 years of the vintage. The temperature at which a wine is served is fundamental to its full expression. Domaine de Cristia is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar-like temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift. If the wine is still young, you may wish to decant it, but this is not obligatory. Then serve your Chateauneuf in the most appropriate glass.

Food and wine pairing advice Domaine Cristia

Visit Cristia Estate red goes very well with all types of classic meat dishes: veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, braised, simmered, sausage, barbecue and cassoulet. It's also good with Asian dishes, hearty fish dishes like tuna, pasta with mushrooms, eggplants, tomatoes and cheese.

Domaine de Cristia white wine is best served with a myriad of different seafood dishes, shellfish, crab, lobster, sushi, sashimi, chicken, pork and veal, as well as Asian cuisine.

 

A short history of the estate :

In the beginning, this domain was born in 1950 thanks to Etienne Grangeon. This 2-hectare Grenache estate has evolved under the inspiration of Alain and his son, who joined him in 1963. Thanks to his passion for viticulture, he has helped the estate to evolve by cultivating so-called "improvers" such as Syrah, Mourvèdre and Mourvèdre. Mourvèdre and also giving the name Cristiaa name built on knowledge of and respect for the predominantly sandy soils. The year of rebirth was 1999, when Baptiste and Dominique were reunited with their father. The priority was to carry out work based on a better selection of plots. in order to produce some of the best wines quality and facilitated their marketing both in France and abroad.

Today, this estate represents three generations of winegrowers who share the same passion and know-how on the 42-hectare estate. Cristia extended list of Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellations (18 hectares of reds and 1 hectare of whites), Côtes-du-Rhône Villages (9 hectares), Côtes-du-Rhône (5 hectares) and Vin de Pays (9 hectares). Thanks to the many projects that are coming to fruition, the Cristia is evolving and carving out a prestigious place for itself within the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation. 

 

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