Wine Of The Week – Domaine de Cristia Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2006
Each week I like to choose a new wine to introduce to our fans. These wines vary by region, by varietal and even by price. I don’t think cost and value are necessarily related. So I like to focus on wines I have experienced on my travels and I think our fans will enjoy trying. salut!
91 points, Wine Spectator
THE STORY
Domaine de Cristia was founded in 1942 by Bapiste’s grandfather Alain. Both the grand father and the father, Alain Grangeon, sold the production in bulk but when Baptiste took over at 25 years of age he started to bottle the wines at the domaine from vintage 1999. Baptiste Grangeon’s family estate is a relative newcomer to the Rhône Valley.
Things didn’t go exactly great at the start. Bad corks caused major problems for Cristia in their first 
vintage (1999), and Baptiste advises people not to buy their ’99s this at any price should they come across it. 2000 was much better and by 2001 Baptiste was clearly a rising star of the appellation. In 2002, terrible rains destroyed much of the Chateauneuf harvest – Baptiste adapted as well as he could, cutting down the volume of Grenache in the blend, usually 80%. Then came the famous 2003 vintage where Baptiste took advantage of the extreme heat to produce a remarkable wine. With the strength of some great vintages now under his belt and with the continual accolades, we are convinced that we have stumbled upon one of the up-and-coming great estates of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
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