Rhône Royalty, the Outlier: 2012 Chateau des Tours Côtes du Rhône Blanc

The Reynaud family is one of the legendary families of the Rhône. Their estates (Rayas, Fonsalette, Pignan, & Chateau des Tours) represent some of the region's most compelling wines.

Today, we're happy to offer one of the true rarities and outliers of Reynaud's lineup, the 2012 Château des Tours Côtes du Rhône Blanc.

I'm very happy to have landed this parcel. Château des Tours is almost impossible to find in quantity. Just to highlight how scarce this wine is, I'll mention that there's just one other listing for the 2012 in the entire U.S.

We recently tasted the 2012 Côtes du Rhône Blanc and were amazed. It's an intriguing and challenging wine. Based entirely on Grenache Blanc, it combines richness with an unmistakable elegance and breeding. The flavor profile covers a mind-bending range - tropical fruits, subtle minerality and Chartreuse-like herbal undertones. There’s a brightness, energy and quiet sophistication that is simply thrilling. The 2012 is in a gorgeous place right now, but we fully expect it to continue developing for another 5-7 years.

Château des Tours' Emmanuel Reynaud is known for being fairly reclusive and spending most of his time in the vineyards. Tending to the vines is clearly much more his passion than any slick marketing or spending time trying to impress critics. The results of the organic farming and all the care that the vines receive are made clear in the transparency and pristine elegance of the wines.

Château Rayas was founded by Albert Reynaud in 1880 and his son Louis steadily moved the domaine from polyculture to focusing exclusively on wine. In 1935, Louis purchased Château des Tours. Louis had two sons, Jacques, who eventually took over Rayas, and Bernard, who headed Château des Tours. Bernard's son, Emmanuel, took over Château des Tours in 1989 and then Rayas, Fonsalette and Pignan after Jacques passed away in 1997.

Emmanuel now has all of the domaines in top form. How riveting Chateau des Tours' Cotes du Rhône Blanc is drives this home. This is one of the most fascinating wines of the Rhône.

To order, email offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.

Ian McFadden

Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits

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