Domaine de Cristia

Domaine de Cristia is located in the southern Rhone. The winery was founded in 1942 by Etienne Grangeon. In the 1960s, his son Alain joined him in the business and together they expanded the winery. Since 1999, the third generation has also been on board, with Etienne's grandchildren working in the family business. Whereas the focus in the early years was on quantity, that has now completely changed and everything is about quality.

Etienne once started with just under 2 hectares, but has since added 40 hectares. The vines are planted on sandy clay soils with a top layer of cobbles. The boulders are also known as galets roulés and are an important component in Châteauneuf-du-Pape's terroir. The preeminent grape variety is grenache. This is followed by mourvèdre, syrah, clairette, roussanne and marsanne. Respect for nature and the environment are paramount at Cristia. That's why it works as naturally as possible and maintains its vines according to organic regulations. In 2008, the winery was certified as fully organic and HVE certification followed in 2020. HVE stands for Haute Valeur Environnementale and shows that wineries apply environmentally friendly practices.

Domaine de Cristia produces Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes du Rhône (Village) and some Vin de Pays. A total of seven different cuvées come to market. The flagship wine of the winery is the Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes. This wine is made from 100% grenache. The bunches come from old vines with an average age of 100 years. The high age ensures low but very high-quality yields. Once fermentation is complete, the wine matures for 24 months in French oak barriques. The result is a powerful Châteauneuf-du-Pape with a storage potential of some 15 years.