2016 'Reserve' Château des Tours Vacqueyras Rouge 750mL

"The 2016 Vacqueyras Réserve seduces from the first pour as it unfurls in waves of ripe kirsch, dark licorice, wild stems and sun-warmed herbs, all laced with a whisper of forest strawberry that lends it an irresistible Reynaud-esque perfume. On the palate, it's full-bodied and voluptuous with a fleshy richness that glides across the tongue. The finish is long, layered and luxuriously dense, translating into pure finesse. In short, this is the finest Vacqueyras from Château des Tours I've ever tasted. It deserves at least five more years of patience as this bottle, opened (not decanted) 12 hours ahead, only grew more alluring with every passing hour." 95Pts. - Nicolas Greinacher, Vinous

"Spoken about in hushed tones by many a collector, Chateau Rayas - and all of its arms from Fonsalette to Chateau des Tours - is known as the greatest Grenache producer in the world. After his uncle Jacques' passing in 1997, Emmanuel Reynaud has continually crafted phenomenal wines from each estate that are sought the world over.

Several generations have run the Chateau Rayas, but Jacques Reynaud took the wines into the stratosphere, where Emmanuel has only served to keep them since his ascendance in 1997. Almost as reticent in accepting his fame as Jacques - who used to hide when cars would approach the Chateau - Emmanuel guards closely his recipe to the legendary wines escaping the estate every year.

We know that the vines are ancient and produce small, intense yields. There is no temperature-control in the cellars, and the wines ferment in concrete before being transferred to ancient barrels of several different sizes. That's it - no magic tricks, just patience; the wines will ferment for about a year, and then will be aged in bottle at the estates until they are deemed ready to drink; routinely vintages are released nearly a decade after their fermentations conclude.

From Chateau des Tours in Vaucluse, 40 hectares of Grenache, Syrah, Merlot, Cinsault, Grenache Blanc and Clairette are planted to black sand vineyards. The one difference in vinification from the other Rayas estates is the Merlot, which will be partially aged in new oak." - Thatcher's Wine, USA