2010 Vacqueyras, Château des Tours, Rhône

Château des Tours

Château des Tours is situated in the southern part of the Rhône Valley, specifically in the village of Visan. It is known for producing exceptional wines that showcase the unique terroir and express the region's character.

Founded in the 15th century, the winery has a rich history and has been passed down through generations, gaining prominence under the stewardship of Emmanuel Reynaud, a highly respected winemaker who also owned the iconic Châteauneuf-du-Pape estate, Château Rayas. Reynaud's dedication to crafting wines of exceptional quality and his commitment to organic farming practices have played a significant role in establishing Château des Tours as a revered winery.

The estate covers approximately 20 hectares (49 acres) of vineyards planted with various grape varietals that thrive in the Rhône Valley. Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Carignan are among the key red grape varieties grown, while white grapes such as Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier contribute to the production of white wines.

Château des Tours is known for its traditional winemaking techniques focusing on minimal intervention. The grapes are carefully hand-harvested and sorted to ensure only the highest quality fruit is used. Fermentation occurs in large oak vats or concrete tanks, allowing for gentle extraction and preservation of the fruit's purity. The wines are then aged in a combination of oak barrels and larger casks, contributing to their complexity and ageing potential.

The wines are highly regarded for their elegance, finesse, and the expression of their terroir, often exhibiting ripe fruit flavours, balanced acidity, and silky tannins. The red wines, in particular, showcase the rich, spicy, and earthy characteristics of the Rhône Valley.

The estate has been certified organic since 1997, emphasising the winery's dedication to producing wines that reflect the purity of the land and respect the environment.

Southern Rhône Blend

The vast majority of wines from the Southern Rhône are blends. There are 5 main black varieties, although others are used and the most famous wine of the region, Châteauneuf du Pape, can be made from as many as 13 different varieties. Grenache is the most important grape in the southern Rhône - it contributes alcohol, warmth and gentle juicy fruit and is an ideal base wine in the blend. Plantings of Syrah in the southern Rhône have risen dramatically in the last decade and it is an increasingly important component in blends. It rarely attains the heights that it does in the North but adds colour, backbone, tannins and soft ripe fruit to the blend.

The much-maligned Carignan has been on the retreat recently but is still included in many blends - the best old vines can add colour, body and spicy fruits. Cinsault is also backtracking but, if yields are restricted, can produce moderately well-coloured wines adding pleasant-light fruit to red and rosé blends. Finally, Mourvèdre, a grape from Bandol on the Mediterranean coast, has recently become an increasingly significant component of Southern Rhône blends - it often struggles to ripen fully but can add acidity, ripe spicy berry fruits and hints of tobacco to blends.