2018 Domaine de Cristia Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes 750 ml

Jeb Dunnuck, who made his name as a Rhône expert, is a tough grader who loves big, rich wines that pack bold flavors and mountains of complexity into the glass. 

Anything above 95 points is a must-buy, and the air gets thin at 96—only the very, very best make it there, and most of them are extremely pricey: Chimere costs $466, while Clos Saint-Jean’s Sanctus Sanctorum will set you back $234. And Domaine de Cristia’s Vieilles Vignes stands with both of these titans. 

In 1999, Baptiste and Dominique Grangeon joined their father in the family estate, The top echelon of Châteauneuf du Pape hasn’t been the same since.

While they’d previously sold their grapes to various négociants, the Grangeons decided to start bottling wines under their own label, Domaine de Cristia. They turned their attention to revitalizing the old vines, introducing biodynamic farming methods and becoming certified as organic in 2008. 

Those changes created such leaps and bounds in quality that Robert Parker declared: “Domaine de Cristia has come on like gangbusters over the last decade,” hailing proprietors Dominique and Baptiste Grangeon as “among the up-and-coming stars in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.”

The highlight of Domaine de Crista’s lineup is undoubtedly the Vieilles Vignes cuvée. This 100% Grenache hails from ancient vines—aged 90–100 years—from the Cristia lieu-dit in the northeast corner of the Châteauneuf appellation. The vines enjoy a cool, fresh climate, which is really useful in a hot vintage like 2018, allowing Baptiste to pick late for plenty of bold flavors. The result is a wine that’s big and rich yet shows tremendous finesse on the palate.