Domaine des Craies

Domaine des Crais is a family estate based in Leynes, now run by Émilie and Benjamin Tissier. The vineyards lie on south to southwest-facing slopes, rooted in clay-limestone soils with harder, stony limestone areas that bring tension and precision to the Chardonnay. In the vineyard, the work is straightforward and controlled: alternating rows of grass cover, light mechanical cultivation, reasoned protection, and mostly hand-harvesting to preserve berry integrity. In the cellar, clarity is the focus. Pressings are long and carefully fractioned, followed by static settling. Fermentations take place in stainless steel or concrete, with part of the wines then aged in used 228-L barrels, with very little recent oak. Élevage generally lasts 8 to 12 months. The wines can show a touch of reduction on opening — a sign of fine-lees ageing — and deliver dry, straight, energetic profiles, marked by firm minerality and a saline finish typical of the Leynes terroirs. A discreet, precise estate producing honest, technically crafted Chardonnay.