Emmanuel Reynaud

Emmanuel Reynaud, child of the 1963 vintage, was the discreet and perfectionist winemaker behind Château Rayas, Château des Tours, and Château de Fonsalette. He was heir to a lineage that began in 1880 with his great-grandfather Albert, and he took over Château Rayas and Château de Fonsalette in 1997 following the death of his uncle Jacques. He had already been running Domaine des Tours, where he created the cellar and developed its commercial distribution from 1989. Through meticulous work on the old Grenache vines—remarkable in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, where 13 grape varieties are permitted—he established a style of finesse and intensity that has become legendary worldwide. A discreet figure with hugely influential wines, rejecting the pursuit of high yields, he elevated Rayas far beyond the Rhône Valley, making it a myth for lovers of great wine. Emmanuel Reynaud sadly passed away in November 2025, leaving his two sons an beautiful spiritual and viticultural legacy.