2007 Château Rayas Château de Fonsalette Côtes du Rhône Rouge Reserve

Bright red. Black raspberry and floral aromas are complemented by Asian spices, anise and white pepper. Racy, finely etched red berry and cherry flavors stain the palate and become deeper and sweeter with air. Shows no rough edges and finishes with superb focus and sweet, sappy persistence. This puts most Chateauneufs in the shade.

We tasted two different ingredients in what will be the final blend. That which contained about 35% Cinsault had extraordinary freshness and excitement on the nose – which seemed miraculous in view of the state of the ancient foudres. It was still very tight and chewy on the palate but taste almost electric with pent-up energy. The second lot was made up of about 50% Grenache, he said, and 15% Syrah, and was very sweet, round and transparent with great spiciness and, again, enormous richness. (JR)

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 don’t let that confuse you, because this wine will age for 10-15 years at the very minimum. Oct 2012, www.robertparker.com