Following the nice visit at Domaine Grand Veneur, I also had an appointment at Domaine de Cristia this May. Time was short, but I won’t complain – I was blown away, and not just by the wines.
Drinking in Avignon wine #9. There should be a saying that goes like: never buy cheap Chateauneuf du Pape. It’s just a waste of many.
My first target to visit in Chateauneuf-du-Pape was Domaine Grand Veneur at the end of May, and I really enjoyed it. We started in a vineyard near the winery, which sits just on the other side of appellation’s border. It seems pretty obvious that just a few meters of difference won’t stop you from growing the same quality of grapes, but the rules are strict – you cannot call it Chateauneuf-du-Pape anymore. Which means you cannot ask the same price for the wine. On the other hand, you can have a bigger crop, different varieties – for example, Viognier, which is not allowed in CdP -, and you can use different trailing systems. You can train Grenache on cordons, for example, which is not allowed inside the appellation. Continue reading