Château des Tours

France, Rhône
http://chateaurayas.fr/gb/index.htm

Emmanuel Reynaud is the fourth generation of wine growers and took over from his father at Château des Tours in 1997 and also at the famous Chateau Rayas after the death of his uncle Jacques Reynaud. His wines are based upon very old Grenache vines, giving wines of little colour but great intensity of aroma and flavour.

The Reynaud family continues to craft some of the most singular wines in the Rhône Valley. Emmanuel Reynaud oversees production at three family-owned estates: Château Rayas, Château de Fonsalette and Château des Tours. Increasingly, he involves his children in running these estates. One of Reynaud's sons, Benoit, holds a degree from Changins Haute Ecole de Viticulture et Oenologie in Switzerland. With guidance from his father during critical moments in the grape growing cycle and winemaking process, he recently took a leading role at Château des Tours with its 39 hectares of vineyard. The hand-harvested grapes typically undergo whole-cluster fermentation, which adds some herbaceous funkiness. Fermentation temperatures for the reds can reach up to around 30°C (86°F), while only native yeasts are used. The highest-quality wine at Château des Tours is their Vacqueyras Réserve, and it is produced exclusively from the oldest parcels, primarily planted with Grenache. Albeit not reaching the same levels of depth and complexity, these wines show a remarkable stylistic resemblance to their Château Rayas siblings from Châteauneuf-du-Pape. They share hauntingly fragrant aromatics, silky tannins and a seamless mouthfeel. L&S  (Nov 2023)