Ch. Rayas Chateau des Tours Vacqueyras 2011

Forty hectares of vineyards situated in the Vacqueyras area a few kilometers north of Sarrians were 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. Grenache planted in 1955, Syrah planted between 1981-1996 on a sandy, west-facing vineyard.

All des Tours wines are handpicked and destemmed and have gone through stringent selection. Only the oldest parcels, almost entirely planted to Grenache, are bottled as Vacqueyras. The rest are blended and bottled as Côtes-du-Rhône. Grenache is aged in concrete vat and Syrah in used 600 L oak casks for 24-26 months.

80% Grenache, 20% Syrah