Château Rayas

The winery is located in the commune of Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the area of the same name in the southern Rhône valley. Jacques Reynaud (+1997), already legendary in his lifetime, introduced a rigorous organic winegrowing system. Since his death, the estate has been managed by his nephew Emmanuel, who had already become famous with his Château des Tours in Vaqueyras before the takeover. The vineyards cover 15 hectares. Of these, 13 hectares are planted with Grenache Noir (90%), Cinsaut and Syrah reds and two hectares with whites. The red wine is made from 100% pure Grenache Noir grapes and matures for one to three years in oak barrels with a capacity of 450 litres, depending on the vintage. The high quality is achieved through age-old vines and a rigorous yield limitation of 15 hectolitres/hectare (50% of AC determination). Another reason is the soil conditions. The heat-storing, fist- to head-sized "galets roules" (rolling pebbles), for which the Châteauneuf-du-Pape area is famous, have been almost completely removed from the sandy vineyards. This leads to a slightly delayed ripening and thus a slightly longer vegetation period, which is probably partly responsible for the enormous complexity and depth of taste.