Château Rayas
One of the true icons of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the Reynaud family have operated out of the Rayas property since 1880, when Albert Reynaud purchased the estate at the age of 45, after losing his hearing and leaving his original occupation as a notary. Albert’s son Louis took the helm in 1920 and oversaw a huge increase in production and export, acquiring Domaine des Tours in the 1930s, and adding Château de Fonsalette, in the north of Orange, in 1945 – consisting of several additional hectares of vines as well as olive trees. Louis spent fifty-eight long years leading the estate, passing control of production to his youngest son, Jacques Reynaud, in 1978. The Rayas story continued to go from strength to strength under Jacques’ stewardship, yet he was a very private and shy man and so it is from this period that the famous stories of Mr. Reynaud arise, of him hiding in the estate’s ditches to avoid passing visitors and industry folk! Jacques’ death in 1997 saw control of the Château pass to his nephew, Emmanuel, who now proudly oversees all three of the family’s sites.
The estates most sought-after wines are Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge made with 100% Grenache, and Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc made with Grenache Blanc and Clairette, with these wines only ever released to the export market after a lengthy period of cellar development. Other labels include Pignan, 100% Grenache, and blends of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault released under the Château de Fonsalette and Pialade labels. A range of more accessible wines are also available from the Château des Tours and Domaine des Tours including Vacqueyras Rouge and Côte du Rhone blends in red and white.
All wines from Château Rayas & Château des Tours are only available on allocation. Please contact us to enquire.