More about Domaine de Cristia

Domaine de Cristia sits on the quieter, eastern edge of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, in Courthézon, where sandy soils and cool exposures give Grenache more lift and perfume than the appellation's reputation for power might suggest.

Étienne Grangeon started the estate in the 1950s with two hectares of Grenache. His son Alain joined in 1963, expanded the holdings and planted Syrah and Mourvèdre, and in 1999 Alain's sons Baptiste and Dominique came on board, focusing on the best parcels and on wines built to age. Today the family farms about 42 hectares, 19 of them in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the rest in Côtes du Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages and Vin de Pays, nearly all around Courthézon.

Most of the Châteauneuf vines grow in the lieu-dit Cristia itself, on northeast-facing sand that brings freshness and supple, fine tannins. A parcel in l'Arnesque, covered in the river's rolled pebbles, adds warmth and ripeness. Plantings are about 85% Grenache. The estate has been certified organic since the 2008 harvest. In the cellar, grapes are destemmed and fermented for around three weeks in concrete with gentle extraction, and the Châteauneuf reds then age for 18 months in vat and barrel.

The range runs from juicy Côtes du Rhône to old-vine Châteauneuf of real depth. Expect generous fruit, freshness and finesse rather than heat.