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Chateau de Fonsalette

2005 Chateau de Fonsalette, Cotes du Rhone, Syrah

France Syrah Rhone Cotes du Rhone 750ML

Wine Advocate

94

Vinous

92
/
2005 Chateau de Fonsalette, Cotes du Rhone, Syrah
Chateau de Fonsalette

2005 Chateau de Fonsalette, Cotes du Rhone, Syrah

France Syrah Rhone Cotes du Rhone 750ML

Wine Advocate

94

Vinous

92
/

This cuvée is sourced from some of the finest vineyards just outside Châteauneuf. The vines, planted between 1944-1948 and in 1987, thrive in gravel, red galet stone, and sandy soils. The wine undergoes a 10-day fermentation process, followed by 12 months of aging in old 450-liter casks. The 2005 vintage was exceptional, thanks to an ideal growing season. The wines from this year are complex, rich, textural, and elegantly refined.

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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.

Chateau de Fonsalette

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.

Fonsalette, just outside of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, is home to 30 acres of old-vine Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah which create the red wines; Grenache Blanc, Clairette and Marsanne lend the base for the white. Beyond the quality of any Cotes-du-Rhone wine before or since, these are nearly parallel in quality to the Rayas wines themselves.

Meet the Producer

Chateau de Fonsalette

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.

Fonsalette, just outside of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, is home to 30 acres of old-vine Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah which create the red wines; Grenache Blanc, Clairette and Marsanne lend the base for the white. Beyond the quality of any Cotes-du-Rhone wine before or since, these are nearly parallel in quality to the Rayas wines themselves.

The Wine Advocate

Wine Advocate

94

The 2006 seems jagged at this stage, and I would rather put my money on what certainly will be a great one, the 2005 Fonsalette Cotes du Rhone Syrah. Speaking of that wine, I think this is the best cuvee of Syrah that Emmanuel Reynaud has made at the estate. Dense purple in color, with a glorious nose of smoked duck, meat juices, truffle, animal fur, and copious quantities of blackberry and cassis, this wine is super-rich, dense, thick, and juicy, yet all of that fruit and glycerin nearly hides some substantial tannins. This wine should evolve effortlessly for 20-25 years and is a superb expression of Syrah in the southern Rhone. This great estate has been going through a transitional period, with some replanting in their vineyards, and of course the enormous challenge of replacing the legendary proprietor and winemaker, the late Jacques Reynaud, who passed away in the winter of 1997. Replaced by his nephew Emmanuel Reynaud, who had worked closely with his uncle, the early vintages, as I reported on in this publication, were good but hardly exciting. Reason to be concerned about the direction in which the estate was going was a legitimate worry. The 1998, 1999, and 2000 vintages were vintages where Rayas was well behind the pack of top producers in Chateauneuf du Pape. However, with that said, the tasting I did with Emmanuel Reynaud in late August was the best tasting I have done with him in a decade, and while it may be premature to say that Rayas is back to the greatness of Jacques Reynaud, Emmanuel has made some fabulous wines that are going to be released over the next

Vinous

Vinous

92

Inky violet. Deep, spicy cherry and blackcurrant aromas are complicated by mocha and anise. Smoky, sweet and seductively smooth, offering deep red and dark berry flavors and an expansive finish. Became more red-fruity with air but retained a youthfully brooding personality. Reynaud said that it is a mystery of nature how this is always so elegant, and noted that there often seems to be a Cote-Rotie-like gracefulness to this wine.

What the Critics are Saying

The Wine Advocate

Wine Advocate

94

The 2006 seems jagged at this stage, and I would rather put my money on what certainly will be a great one, the 2005 Fonsalette Cotes du Rhone Syrah. Speaking of that wine, I think this is the best cuvee of Syrah that Emmanuel Reynaud has made at the estate. Dense purple in color, with a glorious nose of smoked duck, meat juices, truffle, animal fur, and copious quantities of blackberry and cassis, this wine is super-rich, dense, thick, and juicy, yet all of that fruit and glycerin nearly hides some substantial tannins. This wine should evolve effortlessly for 20-25 years and is a superb expression of Syrah in the southern Rhone. This great estate has been going through a transitional period, with some replanting in their vineyards, and of course the enormous challenge of replacing the legendary proprietor and winemaker, the late Jacques Reynaud, who passed away in the winter of 1997. Replaced by his nephew Emmanuel Reynaud, who had worked closely with his uncle, the early vintages, as I reported on in this publication, were good but hardly exciting. Reason to be concerned about the direction in which the estate was going was a legitimate worry. The 1998, 1999, and 2000 vintages were vintages where Rayas was well behind the pack of top producers in Chateauneuf du Pape. However, with that said, the tasting I did with Emmanuel Reynaud in late August was the best tasting I have done with him in a decade, and while it may be premature to say that Rayas is back to the greatness of Jacques Reynaud, Emmanuel has made some fabulous wines that are going to be released over the next

Vinous

Vinous

92

Inky violet. Deep, spicy cherry and blackcurrant aromas are complicated by mocha and anise. Smoky, sweet and seductively smooth, offering deep red and dark berry flavors and an expansive finish. Became more red-fruity with air but retained a youthfully brooding personality. Reynaud said that it is a mystery of nature how this is always so elegant, and noted that there often seems to be a Cote-Rotie-like gracefulness to this wine.