Created by Etienne Grangeon 70 years ago, the property originally comprised 2 hectares of Grenache. It was developed further by the driving force of his son Alain, who joined the domaine in 1963. Passionate about viticulture, he notably contributed to the expansion of the domaine and planted improved grape varieties such as Syrah and Mourvedre and created the identity of Cristia, based on the knowledge and respect of his soils.
Then, in 1999, Baptiste and Dominique joined their father. Their priorities were to concentrate on selecting the best parcels in order to produce a wine of a great quality, with a good ageing potential, to commercialize in France as well as for export.
Today three generations of vignerons share the passion and skills on the 21 hectares that make up Domaine de Cristia, which include the appellations of Chateauneuf-du-Pape (11 hectares of red and 1 hectare of white), Cotes-du-Rhone Villages (1 hectare), Cotes-du-Rhone (4 hectares) and Vin de Pays (4 hectares).
Chapelle St. Theodoric is one of the new domaines in the Southern Rhone Valley as its debut vintage was produced from the 2009 harvest. The domaine was created when the owner of Domaine de Cristia , Baptiste Grangeon, and the well-known importer Peter Weygandt decided to produce a wine together to show different expressions of similar terroir. Peter Weygandt and Baptiste Grangeon quickly formed a partnership. The winery, Chapelle St. Theodoric takes its name from a small Chapel that is more than 1,000 years old, located in the village of Chateauneuf du Pape.
Chapelle St. Theodoric Les Grans Pin is made from 100% Grenache planted in the sandy terroir of the Pignan Lieu-dit, located not far from Chateau Rayas . The grapes are not destemmed. The wine is aged in demi-muids.
Chapelle St. Theodoric La Guigasse is produced from 100% old vine Grenache that comes from the sandy soils of the La Guigasse lieu-dit. The vines are old, they range from 50 to 100 years of age. The grapes are not destemmed. The wine is aged in 600 liter demi-muids.