CASE PRICE = $66.99 per bottle (add 12+ quantity to your basket)
Notes from the Winemaker:
Ageing:
Grenache aged in 2-3 year old barrels, Mourvèdre aged in new barrels, for 18 months.
Age of vines:
Grenache vine is 100 years old, Mourvèdre vines are 50 years old.
60% Grenache (100-years-old) 40% Mourvedre.
Tasting Notes:
Dark intense violet coloring denoting a rich and generous body.
Complex bouquet of roasted coffee, licorice, cherry and hints of leather.
Powerful straightforward taste in the mouth with drak fruit (blackcurrant), spicy (black pepper) and zan aromas.
Sister and 2 brothers, Dominique, Baptiste and Laurent Grangeon are as the third generation in front of the domain today. It was founded by their grandfather Etienne Grangeon in 1942.
Both the grandfather and the father, Alain Grangeon, sold the production in bulk.
When Baptiste took over he started to bottle the wines at the domain from vintage 1999.
The name Cristia comes from a lieu-dit, which is neighbouring lieu-dit Rayas.
Today the total area with wines is 21 ha. 12 ha Chateauneuf du Pape, 1 ha Cotes du Rhone Village, 4 ha Cotes du Rhone and 4 ha Vin de Pays/Vin de Table.
Ratings & Reviews
94 Points - Wine Spectator Magazine:
This is really packed, but amazingly suave and polished, as the huge
core of braised fig, melted licorice, cassis and ganache is seamlessly
put together and backed by perfectly embedded grip. The finish is hefty,
but a mouthwatering note of singed iron keeps it driven. Best from 2012
through 2024. 500 cases made. –JM (November 15, 2011)
91-93 Points - Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar:
"Opaque ruby. Cherry compote, blackberry preserves and sexy, spicy oak
on the highly aromatic nose. Sweet, supple, and high-toned, with
explosive dark fruit and spice flavors that show impressive nuance,
surprising firmness and superb intensity. Displays real power but
retains a light touch. Finishes with lingering sweetness and a suave
floral quality." - Josh Raynolds (Mar/Apr '11)
90+ Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:"The more limited production 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape Renaissance is fashioned from 60% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre and 10% Syrah, with the Grenache aged in old small oak and the Mourvedre and Syrah brought up in new oak. Tighter, more tannic and backward (especially for a 2009), it reveals plenty of spicy notes intermixed with hints of roast beef, bouquet garni, black currants, blackberries and smoky oak. Atypically backward, brooding, dense, broad, rich and tightly knit, it needs 2-3 years of bottle age and should drink well over the subsequent 15+ years.
Baptiste and Dominique Grangeon own a total of 32 acres of vines in the northeastern sector of Chateauneuf du Pape, so this is not a large estate by any means. However, Domaine de Cristia has produced brilliant wines in both 2009 and 2010, and the Grangeons are also responsible for the wines called Chapelle St.-Theodoric (in conjunction with importer Peter Weygandt) that are reviewed elsewhere in this report. The 2009s have turned out exceptionally well, and 2010 looks to be the estate’s finest overall vintage since 2007. Not surprisingly, the 2010s exhibit even deeper colors than the relatively dark colored 2009s, and are tighter and more tannic as well as fresher and richer." - Robert Parker (Oct 2011)
92-95 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2010 vintage):
"An
impressive display of blueberries, blackberries, graphite, incense,
acacia flowers and garrigue accompanied by a hint of new oak is offered
by the full-bodied, rich, massive 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Renaissance.
Noticeable tannins suggest 4-5 years of cellaring will be necessary, and
it should drink well over the following two decades." - Robert Parker
(Oct 2011)
