2007 Côtes du Rhône Rouge, Château de Fonsalette

2007 Côtes du Rhône Rouge, Château de Fonsalette

Product: 20071111963
 
2007 Côtes du Rhône Rouge, Château de Fonsalette

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Description

I have followed the Fonsalette Cotes du Rhones since the mid-1960s, and it is a candidate for one of the finest and longest-lived Cotes du Rhones in nearly every top vintage. Emmanuel Reynaud has made a wonderful 2007 that displays terrific Provencal character with large quantities of kirsch, lavender, licorice, roasted herbs and some pepper and meatiness. It is medium to full-bodied, relatively evolved for a Fonsalette, but dont let that confuse you, because this wine will age for 10-15 years at the very minimum.
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 31/10/2012

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Critics reviews

Wine Advocate91/100
I have followed the Fonsalette Cotes du Rhones since the mid-1960s, and it is a candidate for one of the finest and longest-lived Cotes du Rhones in nearly every top vintage. Emmanuel Reynaud has made a wonderful 2007 that displays terrific Provencal character with large quantities of kirsch, lavender, licorice, roasted herbs and some pepper and meatiness. It is medium to full-bodied, relatively evolved for a Fonsalette, but dont let that confuse you, because this wine will age for 10-15 years at the very minimum.
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 31/10/2012 Read more

About this WINE

Château Rayas

Château Rayas

Jacques Reynaud, who died in 1997, was one of the true characters in Châteauneuf. A notoriously shy and private man, he was known to avoid appointments by hiding in ditches that lined the rutted driveway leading to his château. However, he was recognised as one of the world's greatest winemakers and the legacy of Château Rayas is now continued by his son François.

So many practices here seem to run contrary to other producers in Châteauneuf - the 13 hectares of vines are north facing and contain none of the fabled "galets roulés". Only Grenache is used and yields at around 15hl/h are ridiculously low. Almost uniquely the wines are matured in the now rarely seen 450 litre "double-piéce" oak casks. These are substantial and exotically rich wines that are quite literally unique.

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Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Châteauneuf-du-Pape

The most celebrated village of the Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the birthplace of the now indispensable French Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée system – imperfect though it may be. Compared to the Northern Rhône, the vineyards here are relatively flat and often feature the iconic galet pebbles – the precise benefits of which are a source of much debate. Minimum alcohol levels required by the AOC are the highest in France, but at 12.5% it is well below the natural generosity of Grenache, which only achieves its full aromatic potential when it is fully ripe and laden with the resultant high sugars. Syrah and Mourvèdre contribute the other defining elements in the blend, adding pepper, savoury spice and structure to the decadent Grenache. There are a further 10 permitted red grape varieties which can be used to adjust the “seasoning”. Of the five white varieties permitted, it is Grenache Noir’s sibling – predictably perhaps – Grenache Blanc, which dominates, though Roussanne shows a great deal of promise when handled well, notably at Château de Beaucastel.

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Southern Rhône Blend

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.

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