96
Wine Spectator
"This has an intense core of crushed plum, raspberry and boysenberry fruit flavors, draped with melted licorice notes and backed by a wave of warm fruitcake. Hedonistic for sure, but accents of anise, violet and singed apple wood dart around, adding extra facets of intrigue to hold your attention. Grenache and Mourvèdre. Best from 2020 through 2040. 600 cases made."
92-94 Josh Raynolds - Vinous Media
"Deep ruby. Vibrant aromas of blackberry, cherry pit, licorice, potpourri and spicecake carry a smoky mineral overtone. Juicy, concentrated and sharply focused, offering dark berry liqueur, bitter cherry and floral pastille flavors that show excellent clarity and mineral lift. Impressively lithe for its power, finishing with building tannins, resonating spiciness and outstanding persistence."
92-94 Jeb Dunnuck - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
"A bigger, richer wine based on 60% Grenache and 40% Mourvèdre, the 2015 Châteauneuf du Pape Renaissance knocks it out of the park with its black and blue fruits, roasted meats, violets and mint-laced bouquet. It’s slightly less concentrated and decadent than previous vintages, yet is still full-bodied, seamless and concentrated, with sweet tannin. It should benefit from short-term cellaring, yet drink reasonably well in its youth."
93 Joe Czerwinski - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
"The 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Renaissance is a blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Mourvèdre. It's a super ripe and plush wine, loaded with dark cherries, cola and baking spices like cinnamon and nutmeg (the Mourvèdre component is aged in oak). With its soft tannins and touch of warmth on the finish, it should be consumed relatively young.
At Domaine de Cristia, the estate has been certified organic since 2008, but now Baptiste Grangeon is changing up the winemaking. "The 2015 is the last year made the way I always did," he said. In 2016, he used more whole clusters and a touch of oak, looking for more complexity in his wines. Most of the domaine's wines are located in the lieu-dit Cristia, which has mainly sandy soils well suited to Grenache. "
"60% Grenache from 100-year-old vines and 40% Mourvèdre from 50-year-old vines. The Grenache is aged in 2-3 year-old barrels and the Mourvèdre is aged in new barrels for 18 months. East facing vines helps preserve the livliness of the wines.
Domaine de Cristia was established in 1942 with 2 hectares of vines; all grapes were sold to négociants until the children of the current winemaker took over and bottled the first Domaine de Cristia wine in 1999. Brother and sister Baptiste and Dominique Grangeon are now running the winery.
Today, they have 20 hectares of vines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape spread over four different lieu-dits near Rayas with varying soil-types with sand, clay and calcaire and galets. Ninety percent of the vines are in the lieu-dits Cristia. These parcels of Châteauneuf-du-Pape benefit from a cool, fresh north-easterly exposition which allows the grapes and wines to develop supple, elegant tannins.Their Syrah and Mourvèdre vines average 50 years-old and they have some Grenache that is over 100 years-old.
The domaine follows organic agriculture for all work in the vineyards and have been certified from the 2008 vintage. No chemical fertlizers, herbicides or pesticides are used to treat the soils or the vines. Ploughing and weeding are practiced according to the blocks and the yields desired. Vines are treated with copper sulphate and sulphur occasionally blended with a nettle infusion/tea (4 to 5 times a year). Only organic fertlizer is used – i.e. sheep manure.
The grapes are selected in the vineyard and then destemmed before being put into vats. Three weeks of fermentation and maceration in concrete vats follow, with the use of indigenous yeasts. Temperatures are kept low in order to produce aromatic wines. They do not insist on any massive extraction, but prefer the ‘matiere’ to express itself. (Due to the work in the vineyards, the grapes possess enough concentration). The pressed juice and free-run juice are blended together according to the vintage. Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines are aged in concrete vats and barrels for 18 months. Côtes-du-Rhône and Vin de Pays are aged only in concrete vats for 8 to 12 months.
The Domaine de Cristia wines are always have a notable finesse and elegance." -Importer
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