2020 Domaine des Tours Vin de Pays de Vaulcuse Rouge 750mL

This comes from 40ha of vineyards situated in the Vacqueyras area a few kilometers north of Sarrians purchased by the Reynaud family in 1935. The old maison is flanked on both sides by tall towers (hence Des Tours). Emmanuel took over this château from his father Bernard (Jacques' brother) in 1989. The vineyards are tended with organic methods, manually plowed, harvested much later than other producers, and centered around a reverence for old-vine Grenache.

During vinification, each varietal of every vineyard is fermented separately in oak casks, with assemblage taking place in enamel-lined tanks before bottling. The maceration ranges from 12 to 15 days, and fermentation is allowed to begin naturally with no inoculation of yeasts. The wine is then aged for 12 months, with the Merlot aged in barriques (30% new).

Grenache, Counoise, Syrah, Cinsault, Merlot.

"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