Chapelle Saint Theodoric

Chapelle Saint Theodoric is a relatively new estate in the southern Rhone. Its first vintage first appeared on the market about a decade ago. The winery emerged from a collaboration between well-known American importer Peter Weygandt and Baptiste Grangeon, the owner of Domaine de Cristia. Peter saw two plots for sale in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and immediately recognised the special terroir. He decided to take over the two vineyards and look for a winemaker to vinify them. That's how he ended up with Baptiste. Together they named the estate after the historic chapel in the centre of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

The two parcels, named La Guigasse and Pignan, both have sandy soils with only a few cobbles. This soil type is very unique for the region, as most vineyards consist mainly of the typical galet roulés (round boulders). Pignan is located next to the vineyard of the famous Château Rayas. This lieu-dit is also called Le Grand Pin because of the large pine tree there. In addition to these two vineyards, Peter also owns the Les Sablons plot. With this, Peter has 3 hectares in operation. These are maintained according to biodynamic regulations. The three plots are planted exclusively with grenache vines, whose age is between 50 and 100 years. This results in a very low yield per hectare, at around 15 hl/ha. As a result, the bunches are of excellent quality.

In the cellar, Baptiste opts for the traditional approach; there is no de-stemming, fermentation takes place in cement vats and the wines are raised in old 600-litre demi-muid barrels. Despite the close proximity of the vineyards, the three wines all have their own character with Le Grand Pin being the absolute best!