At a glance

Producer

Château des Tours (Emmanuel Reynaud)

Region

Côtes-du-Rhône, Rhône Valley, France

Grape variety

Primarily Grenache (with some Syrah and Cinsault, typical for the estate)

Wine type

Red

Body

Medium-bodied and Fruity

Sweetness

Dry

Typical price

$45–$65 (release to secondary market; subject to high demand and allocation)

Tasting profile

Vibrant red berries (strawberry, raspberry), black cherry, violets, wild herbs (garrigue), subtle earth, touch of licorice, fine mineral finish.

Evolution: With age, expect more leather, mushroom, dried herbs, and sandalwood notes alongside softened red fruit.

At peak: Complex bouquet with integrated fruit, savory earth and spices, and silky mouthfeel. Tertiary Rhône characters will be prominent at peak.

Structure

Acidity

Medium+; lively, supporting aging

Tannins

Medium, slightly grippy in youth

Alcohol

14–15% ABV (typical for estate)

Aging potential

12-15+ years from vintage in strong years like 2020

Drinking window

Peak drinking

2026 to 2039

Optimal window

2024 to 2042

Current status

Youthful but approachable

Current condition

The wine is open and expressive but will benefit from further cellaring for additional complexity.

Château des Tours makes one of the most age-worthy (and collectible) Côtes-du-Rhône wines due to its low yields, organic farming, and unfiltered, traditional winemaking. 2020 is a balanced, quality vintage—allowing for over a decade of improvement and plateaued drinking. Most Côtes-du-Rhône should be drunk within 5-7 years, but Des Tours Réserve is a major exception because of estate reputation and structure.

Food pairing

Grilled lamb chops, duck breast with cherry sauce, cassoulet, Provençal roasted vegetables, wild mushroom risotto, aged Comté cheese.

Serving

Serving temperature

15-17°C / 59-62°F

Decant

Yes (1-2 hours) — Unfiltered, youthful wines from this estate can show reduction and benefit from aeration to open the bouquet and soften tannins.

Sustainability

Sustainability score: 8/10

Manual harvesting, no synthetic herbicides/pesticides, cover cropping, minimal irrigation. Wild yeast fermentations; low intervention winemaking. Bottling is traditional, potentially lighter bottles but no explicit packaging sustainability.

Château des Tours, under Emmanuel Reynaud, is well-known for organic, labor-intensive vineyard management and natural winemaking. While not certified, their practices equal or exceed many certified organic properties. Energy use is typical for small domaines (gravity flow, no industrial processes). Water use is conservative (dry-farmed, no irrigation). Packaging is standard glass. The major sustainability limitation is lack of third-party certification and some export-related emissions, but estate practices are environmentally exemplary for the Rhône.