The modest sixteenth century château which gives this estate its name lies hidden in a maze of small country lanes between Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Vacqueyras. It is the heart of what is a relatively large domaine, with part of the 58ha being given over to cereals and fruit trees. The best land however is reserved exclusively for vines, giving 40ha of Vins de Pays (on the rich, black, sandy soils) and Côtes du Rhône and Vacqueyras (on the poorer stony, gravely soils).

It was the grandfather of the current owner, Emmanuel Reynaud, who bought the estate back in 1938. At the time the vineyards where rather dilapidated and the task was left to his father to replant many of the vines. Emmanuel has continued this process of regeneration, matching the right varieties to the right soils, putting in trellising on the flatter land and keeping the bush vines for the steeper slopes, all the time using a minimum of chemicals, eschewing completely insecticides and weedkillers, preferring to work the soils mechanically to keep the mauvaises herbes at bay. One cannot, however, classify the estate as organic, as Emmanuel has a deep-seated aversion to any form of categorization.

Which brings us to the man himself. Various early Rhône reports were scoured in the quest for detailed information on this estate. That of autumn 1995 describes Emmanuel as “young, dynamic and open-minded”. Mmmm………. It is true that he is not as young as he was – none of us is – but dynamic and open-minded? Something here just did not ring true. Help came in the form of a much more recent report which depicts him as “cranky”. Now that’s much more appropriate! This is also a word which would aptly have described his late uncle, Jacques Reynaud (of Château Rayas fame), whom Emmanuel increasingly resembles. Just like his uncle, Emmanuel is rather disorganised, seemingly incapable of giving a direct answer to a question and he shares his rather impish sense of humour. He is making a worthy successor, not just in vinous terms.

So what is his philosophy? This is not the easiest of things to sum up, as it is difficult to tell when Emmanuel is being serious, but what one can say that he is a traditionalist, in many senses of the word. He states his guiding principles as the “respect de la creation” (which might also explain the half-a-dozen children) and the work in the vineyards which allows each vintage to be a true reflection of that year. Since the death of his uncle, Emmanuel has taken up the reins at Rayas. Running the two estates is a huge challenge, not just in terms of organization, but also for his reputation. It is too early to say if he will achieve the same notoriety as Jacques, but early signs are promising.