They dont just make one of the world`s greatest Tavels
April 18th, 2012
With dinner guests last night we started the meal ( accompanying new season asparagus) with Domaine Mordorée`s wonderful Condrieu 2010…they own a tiny part of land up in the Condrieu aoc, alledgedly resulting in the most micro of production levels, just 600 bottles. Sensationally delicious and the perfect partner , bravo!




Yesterday to Domaine de Cristia the Chateauneuf producer in the village of Courtezon just down the road from Janesse. I joined their UK merchant H&H Bancroft for a magnificent tasting. Amazingly Cristia only started estate bottling in 1999 so have just completed their 13th vintage…yet they are producing wines which some of their better known peers must be envious of. The estate comprises 16ha of Chateauneuf , mainly in the north east on a mix of soils,sand, cley , chalk , stones - there is another 9ha of Cotes du Rhone adjacant to Beaucastel`s Coudelet on the other side of the A7. The two principle family members driving the property forward are Baptiste Grangeon, the winemaker, and his sister Dominique , who seems to manage everything else and who hosted our tasting session. Dominique explained that much of the groundwork for Cristia`s current success is down to the hard work of her father who completely overhauled the vineyards, employing organic viticulture, allowing his children to take over first class assets when the winery launched at the end of the 90`s. The estate was fully certified as organic from 2008.
