Domaine des Creisses, great wines from Languedoc

Philippe Chesnelong is the discreet winemaker of the Domaine des Creisses, located in Valros in Languedoc, producing a great red wine under IGP Pays d'Hérault. Buying Creisses wine is a must for any lover of great red wines from Languedoc, whether it's the simple cuvée "Les Creisses", with its exceptional quality/price ratio, or the prestigious and long-aging cuvée "Les Brunes". Creisses wines are not available year-round and are unfortunately limited in quantity due to their popularity as soon as a new vintage is released for online purchase. Not only do enthusiasts have cases delivered to their homes, but sommeliers from the best Michelin-starred restaurants also scramble for it due to its ability to provide pleasure even in its youth.

Where is the Domaine des Creisses located?

The domaine is located in Valros, between Béziers and Montpellier, 6 km from Pézenas, but does not have the AOP Languedoc-Pézenas. Its wines bear the seal of the Indication Géographique Protégée Pays d'Hérault, proud of their affiliation with Languedoc and its Sud de France label. It is this location and its strategic terroir between land and sea (backcountry and Mediterranean Sea, the famous Mediterranean climate) that significantly advantages it compared to other wine estates, particularly for the ripening of grapes and the reduced risk of diseases. Everything begins on a clay-limestone plateau extending over 11 hectares of deep soil. The domaine then extends over an additional 20 hectares along the slopes of villafranchian gravel, with even some brown basaltic volcanic soils that gave their name to the great cuvée of Creisses: "Les Brunes". Not all of the domaine is exclusively planted with vines: garrigue, woods, and truffle oaks complete the diversity essential for their flourishing.

What is the history of the Domaine des Creisses?

1904: The domaine des Creisses (ie the pebbles) is a family wine estate that has been producing wines since 1904. Philippe Chesnelong and his cousin Louis Mitjavile are the third generation of winemakers in place.

1998: Philippe Chesnelong takes over the domaine with the ambition of producing a great wine from Languedoc, representative of this very special terroir. He is assisted by his Bordeaux cousin Louis Mitjavile (domaine de l'Aurage) for vinification and aging, benefiting from decades of experience in Bordeaux. Indeed, Louis is the son of François Mitjavile, the legendary winemaker of Saint-Emilion from the famous Tertre-Roteboeuf.

The domaine practices sustainable farming: as few treatments as possible, only when absolutely necessary. The property has just been certified High Environmental Value.

The vines are always pruned on old wood: Grenaches "in goblet" and "royat" for the other grape varieties. This way, the leaves are aerated, and the berries are maximally protected from rot to ripen under the best conditions. Cover crops in winter reduce tractor passes, which now have tracks instead of wheels to avoid compacting the soil and thus promote the microfauna and biological diversity underground. The roots of the vines can then descend deeply to bring up the precious mineral salts characteristic of the greatest wines.

What grape varieties are used for Les Creisses?

Each grape variety contributes its share to a masterful blend, not forgetting the aging in oak barrels, of course, but it is primarily the art of blending that the two winemaker-oenologists master, contributing to the success of Creisses and Les Brunes worldwide.

Les Creisses:

35% Syrah aged 5 to 44 years, for spice and color.
30% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 6 to 44 years, the backbone of the wine.
20% Grenache aged 23 to 89 years, for expressive fruit and soft tannins.
5% Caladoc aged 27 years for fruitiness and explosiveness.
5% Marselan/Alicante aged 9 years.
5% Mourvèdre (25 years) + Carignan (63 years) add tannic structure to the whole.
The yields in 2024 were 45 hectoliters per hectare, the harvest is always destemmed, and the maceration lasts about three weeks, with aging between 1 year and 1.5 years.

Les Brunes:

50% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 7 to 34 years planted on brown basaltic soils.
50% Syrah aged 6 to 26 years planted on clay-limestone gravel and villafranchian pebbles.
Some vintages contain Mourvèdre and slightly less Syrah, depending on the blends decided by the winemaker.

What are the characteristics of Les Creisses wines?

Les Creisses (cuvée main):

Deep red color, a vanilla and woody nose in its youth that rounds out with fruit (blackcurrant, blackberry) over time, spices, and garrigue always present for years, and always that unparalleled smoothness of tannins that ends in the mouth with a menthol freshness worthy of the greatest. It can be enjoyed young or aged for 5 to 10 years depending on the vintage.

Les Brunes (cuvée parcel):

The basaltic terroir gives smoky accents to the Cabernet Sauvignon, which remains more solar and structured than the "simple" Creisses, resulting in a superb aging potential (10 years or more). An aging of a year and a half in new fine-grain barrels, Bordeaux-style, refines this cuvée that deserves a few years of patience (and quite a bit of aeration in a decanter!) before tasting.

How to taste Les Creisses wines? Service, pairings

The two cuvées from the domaine des Creisses are ideally served around 15-17°C, after a long decanting for young vintages. Opening in advance is fine, but it is unnecessary to decant a Creisses wine that is over 5 years old.

Serve in tasting glasses where the aromas concentrate around the taster's nose, in a tulip shape.

Food-Wine Pairings for Les Creisses:

- Roasted or grilled red meats – rib of beef, entrecôte, flank steak.
- Roasted or spiced lamb – leg of lamb, herb lamb.
- Duck breast or pheasant – perfectly matching the fruity and tannic side.
- Game in sauce – venison stew, wild boar.
- Stews: Daube or saucy dishes – braised beef, stew.
- Mediterranean stews: lamb tagine, spicy couscous.
- Aged cheeses – Cantal, blue cheese, tomme.

Food-wine pairings for Les Brunes:

- Red meats – beef tenderloin, grilled steak, pork roast.
- Game – squab, small game, lamb.
- Navarin or lamb daube – more complex saucy dishes.
- Spicy or stewed dishes – tagines, rich Mediterranean dishes.
- Barbecues and grills – lamb méchoui, skewers.
- Pressed or blue cheeses – Cantal, Roquefort, aged tomme.

Service and storage mistakes to avoid:

- Serving too warm as the alcohol would overpower the aromas.
- Serving too cold as the tannins would be tight and the smoothness in the mouth would not meet expectations.
- Avoid decanting an aged wine to prevent it from losing its character.
- Avoid serving a wine just opened as modern wines need to breathe for a few minutes (or hours) before the first tasting, especially young vintages, hence the necessity of decanting for the youngest wines.

As we are talking about wines meant for aging that are neither found nor bought everywhere or all the time, they often need to be purchased as soon as they are released - thus too young for immediate tasting - and then stored until they are ready. The optimal storage conditions for bottles will be:

- Must be laid down (to keep the wine in contact with the cork so that it remains moist and does not dry out inside the bottle).
- In a humid cellar (to prevent the cork from drying out outside).
- Without vibrations (like from the subway, etc.).
- Without light.
- And especially without sudden temperature variations (ideally: a constant temperature around 12°C).

Why has Les Creisses become a cult wine from Languedoc?

- The revival of Languedoc in the 1980s-1990s is undoubtedly a factor in the emergence of Creisses on starred tables and among discerning enthusiasts.
- The Bordeaux influence has likely helped establish its reputation and place this "exotic" or "foreign" wine within the tasting habits of Bordeaux grape varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon) aged in oak barrels.
- The price and quality/price ratio have certainly allowed enthusiasts to discover an excellent alternative to great Bordeaux crus, not to mention the extraordinary aging capabilities of Creisses that provide great value for money!
- All these advantages have also attracted sommeliers eager for new discoveries, allowing Creisses to secure a spot on the wine lists of the finest tables, even with young vintages that achieve a certain success.
- The confidentiality adds a final touch to this outline of the "recipe for success": When you have access to Creisses or Les Brunes, while no guide mentions them, it means you are among the happy few who know - solely through word of mouth and personal experience - that it is a good deal, and above all, that you will enjoy it.

Are you looking for other ideas in Languedoc? Check if we still have some Domaine de Montcalmès, impossible to be disappointed!

Why buy wines from Languedoc from the domaine Les Creisses?

Because we love them, and we believe these wines have a perfect place in your cellar! But as some customers have told us, "we are not objective, since we have tasted and chosen them to sell: we are interested". That is why we prefer to "defend" our selection with comments from major guides, more objective than we are:

Bettane + Desseauve Guide: 1★/4. Les Creisses refers to the pebbles. Philippe Chesnelong took over this family domaine in 1990. He is assisted by Louis Mitjaville, his cousin, whose reputation has far exceeded Saint-Émilion. The cuvée les-brunes generally plays the register of power while the cuvée des Creisses, more immediate, bursts with flavors. A truly good address.