I’ll be making a longer post, with pictures, in the coming days when I have the time about my recent trip through Chateauneuf, highlighting my visit and tasting at Chateau de Beaucastel, including a tour of their newly finished €16,000,000 cellar and a private tasting with Paul Avril of Clos des Papes amongst other incredible winemakers. For now, I’ll provide tasting notes on my first wine from renowned producer Emmanuel Reynaud.

Enjoyed over the course of a couple hours, with attentive service from a very knowledgeable sommelier who was also the owner of the restaurant, this Côtes du Rhône punches way above its classification.

Honeyed, with notes of almond and jasmine, and a vibrant acidity that never allows one to feel the weight of the undeniable richness. A subtle herbaceousness that never came across as vegetal and also a very floral final note that lingered for over 30 seconds. The mastery of the winemaking is on full display as this wine never loses its balance. Versatile enough to go with both rich veal and white fish. While I don’t know how much you would pay for this stateside, €95 on the wine list didn’t feel outrageous. Especially given the incredible service we received. After dinner, we were allowed to enter the wine cellar underneath the restaurant, which was a real treat. Highly recommended.