Candied red fruit, garrigue, spice and undergrowth. A remarkable Côtes du Rhône from Château de Fonsalette, silky, complex and beautifully mature.
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Product Details
Format
75 cl
Region
CÔTES DU RHÔNE
Vintage
2015
Classification
REGIONAL
Appellation
CÔTES DU RHÔNE
Alcohol
15°
Colour
ROUGE
Country
FRANCE
Taster
Adrien
Confrérie
COMPAGNON
The 2015 Côtes du Rhône from Château de Fonsalette is a rare and singular red, born within the orbit of the legendary Château Rayas. Reaching well beyond the confines of its appellation, it offers a depth, finesse and ageing capacity worthy of the great wines of the Rhône, enhanced by a decade in bottle. This bottle entitles the holder to the Compagnon rank of the Confrérie des Clos Vivants.
Terroir and vineyards Château de Fonsalette lies at Lagarde Paréol, north of Orange, some twenty kilometres from Châteauneuf du Pape. The vines grow on sandy and clay limestone soils, partly surrounded by woodland, in a sector cooler than the neighbouring plain. The red is made mainly from Grenache, complemented by Cinsault and Syrah, from old vines with very low yields, hand harvested. The 2015 vintage, hot and sunny, produced ripe, concentrated and entirely healthy fruit.
Tasting profile The colour is a deep garnet with faint tile red highlights. The nose is complex and bewitching: kirsch, candied raspberry and plum, with notes of garrigue, leather, undergrowth, pepper and gentle spice. The palate is silky and generous, carried by well integrated tannins and a surprising freshness. The finish is long, spicy and delicately floral. It is now in a very fine stage of opening and will keep for several more years.
The estate Château de Fonsalette belongs to the Reynaud family, owners of the renowned Château Rayas in Châteauneuf du Pape. It was vinified for nearly thirty years by Emmanuel Reynaud, who passed away in 2025, in the same singular style as at Rayas: very low yields, ageing in old barrels and absolute respect for the fruit and the terroir. The 2015 vintage, made by his hand, becomes all the more precious. Fonsalette is today regarded as the finest Côtes du Rhône there is.
Food and wine pairing Serve between 16 and 17 °C, after decanting for one hour. It will pair beautifully with a herb crusted rack of lamb, a Provençal daube, pigeon with olives, a beef fillet with truffles or feathered game. Among cheeses, it works very well with a Banon, an aged sheep's milk tomme or a 24 month Comté.
Les Tours, in Sarrians The Tours estate, in Sarrians on the edge of Vacqueyras, came into the Reynaud family in the 1930s, bought by Louis Reynaud of Château Rayas. Louis entrusted it to his son Bertrand, who later handed it to his son Emmanuel.
