Producer Profile: Domaine de Cristia

Domaine de Cristia is located in Courthézon, east of the town of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, just a few steps away from Domaine de la Janasse. Etienne Grangeon established the estate in 1942 with just 2 hectares of Grenache vineyards. His son, Alain, joined the domaine in 1963 and expanded the family’s holdings. Baptiste and Dominique, the third generation, arrived in 1999 and began vinifying parcels separately, creating new cuvées. Since then, Dominique and Baptiste have been increasingly conscientious in working their vineyards with natural methods. In 2008, the Grangeons obtained an organic certification from ECOCERT.

Today, Domaine de Cristia owns 20 hectares in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, all located in the eastern part of the appellation. The vast majority of these vineyards are within the Cristia lieu-dit, which has a northeastern exposure and is mainly composed of sand and clay. The domaine also owns a parcel within the La Roquette lieu-dit, where the terrain is mostly pebbles. The exposure and soil of Cristia gives wines a natural sense of finesse and freshness. Wines from the La Roquette, on the other hand, display ripeness and richness.

After harvest the grapes are sorted and then fully destemmed. Fermentation is carried out in concrete tanks for three weeks, and temperatures are intentionally kept low temperatures in order to preserve aromatics. Aging takes place in vats and barrels, with a percentage of new oak.

Stylistically, the wines of Domaine de Cristia are very elegant and tend to display a beautiful sense of freshness. This is largely attributable to the soil composition and exposure of the dominant parcel in the Cristia lieu-dit, and because of the moderate extraction during fermentation. The regular Châteauneuf-du-Pape is an ode to an almost feminine style, while the other cuvées are made in a more modern style, with some new oak influence.

In 2009, Domaine de Cristia partnered with importer Peter Weygandt to create the Chapelle Saint-Théodoric project. From three hectares of vines owned by Peter Weygandt in the Guiguasse and Pignan lieux-dits (both located in the eastern part of the appellation), Chapelle Saint-Théodoric produces two very traditional Châteauneufs: Les Grands Pins and La Guigasse. The Saint-Théodoric wines present stark contrast to the wines the Grangeons make at Domaine de Cristia. Dominique Grangeon, who is very excited by this new project, told me the process has been quite educational, and that she is learning a lot from working in both styles.