Cristia Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2022

93 points Matt Walls (Decanter): "Impressively expressive, with melted down berry fruits infused with herbs – really fruity and ripe, but all well controlled and focused, with fine tannins. A lively and vibrant Tradition cuvée that should be great value for money. Mostly aged in concrete tank, with 15% in foudres. Drinking Window: 2024-2032. (9/18/23)"

92 points Nicolas Greinacher (Vinous): "The 2022 Châteauneuf-du-Pape ranks alongside the finest renditions of this wine ever produced at Domaine de Cristia. Bursting with orange blossom, garrigue, red cherry, strawberry and licorice, it strikes the perfect balance between opulence and freshness. Polished tannins, a seamless mouthfeel and a focused, juicy conclusion round it all up. Drink: 2025-2037. (Jun 2024)"

93 points Wine Spectator: "[$56 list] Velvety and seductive, with smoothly polished tannins holding up ripe red currant and cherry flavors edged in iron and baking spices. A bitter cherry pit note at the end contributes to the focused, dry finish, which stretches out. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Best from 2026 through 2040. 500 cases made, 125 cases imported. (12/23/24)"

91-93 points Jeb Dunnuck: "Coming all from compacted sand soils, the 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape is 85% Grenache and 15% Syrah raised in foudre and concrete tank. It has an utterly classic style in its ripe black cherry and almost blue fruits as well as peppery herbs, lavender, and floral nuances. It's a rich, medium to full-bodied, textured 2022 with fine tannins and a great finish. (10/30/23)"

92 points Yohan Castaing (Wine Advocate): "Crafted from vines planted on sandy soils, the 2022 Chateauneuf du Pape from Domaine de Cristia has a vibrant, elegant bouquet of dark cherries, berries, rose, violet and lilac mingled with fresh thyme notes. Medium to full-bodied, pure and clean, it has an ample and fleshy core of fruit, suave texture and polished tannins. Comprising 85% Grenache Noir and 15% Syrah and matured for 18 months in both wooden and concrete tanks, this authentic Chateauneuf-du-Pape is worth seeking out. Drink: 2024-2044. (9/26/24)"

92 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 2022 Châteauneuf du Pape from Baptiste Grangeon at Domaine Cristia is crafted from a cépages of seventy-five percent grenache, fifteen percent syrah and ten percent mourvèdre, with the last two varieties raised in older casks, rather than the cement vats in which the grenache spends its élevage. All of the vineyards here are farmed organically and the wine is fermented with indigenous yeasts. The 2022 version comes in listed at 14.5 percent octane and delivers a fine and classic bouquet of red and black raspberries, fruitcake, pepper, smoked meats, garrigue, a complex base of soil tones and a topnote of distant bonfire. On the palate the wine is deep, complex and full-bodied, with a fine core of fruit, good soil inflection and grip, firm, ripe and buried tannins and fine focus on the complex and very well balanced finish. This is an excellent bottle of young Châteauneuf du Pape, with only a whisper of backend heat and a very promising future. 2032-2075. (Sep/Oct 2024)"