The estate of Prieuré Saint Christophe was established in the 1970s by Michel Grisard, who has since become a local legend. In 1994, he converted the domaine to biodynamics, which was still largely unknown at the time, working with incredibly low yields across the 6 hectares of white and red planted. In 2015, the Giachino brothers took over the vineyard, furthering the work of Grisard.
Prieuré Saint Christophe’s single red cuvée is from Mondeuse. It is a variety not seen in many other regions and has variations of both a blanc and noire—it’s often used as a blending grape with Pinot Noir and Gamay in Savoie to produce easy-drinking styles of wine. The ethos of Prieuré Saint Christophe is to produce wines with depth and complexity, to truly demonstrate the vineyards’ capabilities.
The grapes are macerated for up to 40 days in order to extract colour, tannin and flavour before fermentation using whole bunches. It then spends six months in vats before being transferred to barrels for at least a year; varying with the individuality of the vintage and how much time it requires to come together.
As with their white, this is a wine that can age beautifully while still fairly approachable in its youth. You’ll want to decant it prior to serving, with large glasses to better experience its full spectrum of flavours.
