Croix de Bois
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed 5–20 years from the vintage release.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted rosemary lamb, wild boar stew, grilled ribeye steak
✨ Technical Specifications
M. Chapoutier's 'Croix de Bois' is a magnificent single-vineyard (sélection parcellaire) Châteauneuf-du-Pape that serves as a pure, vibrant monument to the Grenache grape. Sourced from a specific parcel in the commune of Bédarrides, the vineyard is renowned for its soil of large quartzite pebbles (galets roulés) over red clay, which absorb the intense Mediterranean sun by day and radiate heat back to the vines at night. Adhering strictly to biodynamic principles, the grapes are harvested at peak maturity and fully destemmed. Uniquely, the wine is fermented and aged entirely in concrete vats for 14 to 16 months, deliberately avoiding oak to preserve the pristine, explosive red fruit character, garrigue spice, and mineral precision of the terroir. The name 'Croix de Bois' (Wooden Cross) evokes the rustic, spiritual heritage of the southern Rhône, where ancient landmarks still dot the sun-drenched landscape.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1808 in Tain-l'Hermitage, Maison M. Chapoutier was transformed into a global benchmark for terroir-driven viticulture after Michel Chapoutier took charge in 1990. Operating on the motto 'Fac & Spera' (Do and Hope), the estate became an early, outspoken pioneer of biodynamic farming in 1991 across its extensive estate vineyards. Rooted along the granite terraces, fluvioglacial alluvial soils, and limestone outcrops of the northern and southern Rhône Valley, Chapoutier crafts transparent, single-vineyard bottlings (sélections parcellaires) alongside international ventures in regions like Portugal's Douro Valley. Winemaking favors indigenous yeasts, gentle extraction, and minimal intervention to preserve purity of origin, often eschewing new wood in favor of neutral oak casks or concrete vats. Benchmark cuvées—famed for their tactile Braille labeling introduced in 1994—include Hermitage icons such as Le Méal Blanc, De l'Orée, Les Greffieux, and Côte-Rôtie's La Mordorée, epitomizing tension, minerality, and structural longevity.
🍇 Grapes
Grenache 100%
🍷 ABV
14.5-15.5%