Legendary winemaker, Emmanuel Reynaud passed away on Monday 24 November, a few days before his 62nd birthday. A Rhône Valley leading light, he was the fourth generation of the Reynaud family to craft wines from Château Rayas, Château de Fonsalette and Château des Tours.
Roots dating back to 1880
Emmanuel Reynaud’s great-grandfather, Albert, acquired a plot of vines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape in 1880, leading him to switch professions from a notary to a winemaker. In 1920, his son took over the reins and over the course of his tenure, the estate grew with the additions of Château des Tours in 1935 followed by Château de Fonsalette in 1945. Emmanuel’s uncle, Jacques Reynaud, ensured the family tradition would continue when he took over from his father in 1978. It was he who instilled in Rayas’ wines the style that laid the foundations for their legendary status, raising the quality of the estate’s wines to the highest level of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation.
From Château des Tours to Château Rayas
Emmanuel Reynaud progressively inherited Château Rayas; one third of the property was bequeathed to him by his uncle Jacques upon his death in 1997, and the rest was bought from his family, compensating his siblings.
To understand his route to winemaking hall of fame, we have to go back to Château des Tours, the 60-hectare family property located at Sarrians, in the lower Rhône Valley. Emmanuel Reynaud started out here at 19 years old, taking over the management of the 25 hectares of vines upon which he learnt the viticulture of the terrain after his father had an accident. In 1989, he built a cellar at Château des Tours (the grapes were sent to a cooperative up until 1988) in which he experimented with production methods such as prolonged maturation. The work defined his style and built a basis of knowledge which propelled the success of Château Rayas’ wines, whose finesse and depth rouse the ardour of wine enthusiasts the world over.
A private family
Emmanuel Reynaud and his wife passed down the family savoir-faire of winemaking to their six children: Benoît vinifies the wine at Château des Tours and Louis Damien holds this same position at Château de Fonsalette. Reserved, the winemaker made the decision to stay out of the media and rarely opened the doors to the cellar for visits, and his set-up remained artisanal.
Several people at iDealwine had the privilege to meet him as they passed through Sarrians. Cyrille Jomand, iDealwine CEO, expressed, “Even if he viewed the world of wine auctions warily – with a clear aversion to speculation – he showed interest and curiosity in our business, to understand it better, and he was particularly happy to note, during a tasting from his barrels, that we are true wine lovers and truly loved his wines! Entering the property is to enter a different world, a true natural habitat of flora and fauna in which the vines are perfectly integrated and hidden from the chaos of the outside world. Entering the universe of Rayas’ wines is agreeing to step into a legend, the legend of fine wines which evoke emotions, of those wines that cannot be defined or comprehended by our mortal intelligence but touch our soul.
Monsieur Reynaud had a watchful eye over his visitors but behind this stern exterior was a clear kindness, wisdom and humility to the service of fine wine.”
Angélique de Lencquesaing added, “This halo of mystery formed part of the legend. The quality of the wines, their silky nature and this finesse combined with a certain power, the notes of garrigue, antique rose, strawberry and pepper, and especially, above all else, the unparalleled texture of a Grenache from a sandy soil, so delicate. All these elements place the wine in a category of their own in Châteauneuf du Pape and even beyond. Rayas truly is a unique wine. Is it the fruit bushes in Sarrians that impart the irresistible notes of crushed strawberries? Just one more mystery for enthusiasts to unravel, all in tribute to the incredible winemaker that was Emmanuel Reynaud.”
While Emmanuel Reynaud has undoubtedly left his mark on the estate’s wine, Château Rayas’ essence could already be found in bottles produced by his forbears. The iDealwine team will always remember opening a bottle of 1978 Château Rayas to taste alongside Thierry Desseauve, famed French wine critic and a specialist when it comes to the estate’s wines, at our office in Paris. Having heard that this rare bottle would soon be opened, Thierry immediately hopped on his bike and cycled across the city to join us. The aroma of antique rose petals made its way to our nose, the freshness, the immense delicateness of the wine all left us speechless for a moment. All those who have had the privilege to taste a glass of Château Rayas know the unforgettable emotions that this wine evokes.
Emmanuel Reynaud is no longer with us, but his work lives on and his wines with such longevity will continue to honour his work, vision and memory. We send his family and friends our most sincere condolences at this sad time.
