2016 Chateau des Tours Vacqueyras

Regular price $174.98

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The 2016 Château des Tours Vacqueyras is one of the crown jewels of the Southern Rhône and a profound expression of Emmanuel Reynaud's singular winemaking philosophy. While Vacqueyras is often associated with powerful, rustic reds, Reynaud crafts a wine of extraordinary perfume, silk-like texture, and haunting elegance—one that many collectors consider the closest stylistic sibling to the legendary Château Rayas.

Produced primarily from Grenache with a smaller proportion of Syrah, the 2016 opens with an intoxicating bouquet of kirsch, wild strawberry, black cherry, and raspberry liqueur, layered with aromas of lavender, rosemary, thyme, white pepper, licorice, orange peel, and the unmistakable scent of Provençal garrigue. With air, the wine continues to unfold, revealing hints of forest floor, sandalwood, tobacco, and warm baking spice, a hallmark of Reynaud's beautifully expressive wines.

The palate is full-bodied yet remarkably weightless, delivering waves of red and black cherry, plum, pomegranate, and exotic spice wrapped in an almost seamless texture. Velvety tannins and vibrant acidity provide impeccable balance, while the finish lingers with notes of crushed herbs, mineral earth, and sweet spice. Despite its richness, the wine never feels heavy—its defining characteristic is its transparency, finesse, and effortless sense of harmony.

The outstanding 2016 Rhône vintage endowed this wine with exceptional concentration and longevity, and many critics regard it as one of the finest Château des Tours Vacqueyras ever produced. Vinous awarded it 95 points, praising its layers of ripe kirsch, wild herbs, luxurious texture, and remarkable finesse, while recommending patience as the wine continues to evolve.

Pair it with roast leg of lamb, duck confit, grilled ribeye, venison, or slow-braised beef, where its savory complexity and aromatic lift truly shine.

For lovers of Rayas, this is one of the most compelling values in fine wine—a bottle that captures Emmanuel Reynaud's unmistakable magic at a fraction of the price of his flagship estate. While already captivating with several hours of decanting, the 2016 Château des Tours Vacqueyras has the pedigree and structure to reward another 15–20 years in a cool cellar.

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Unless your delivery address is on the West Coast, we strongly discourage you from selecting “Ground Service” as your shipping method. During the winter and summer months, weather conditions (temperature) and longer delivery times can often result in the spoilage of your order. It doesn’t make sense to invest in fine wines and then take the chance of ruining them due environmental factors during transit (faster and safer delivery generally isn’t much more expensive). We don’t make an additional profit on accelerated delivery, but we frequently recommend faster shipping options to our customers outside the West Coast.
You must be 21 years of age to order or receive alcoholic beverages. Any shipments containing alcoholic beverages are sent with an “Adult Signature Required” sticker, and the common carrier that delivers our merchandise is required to ask and check for identification upon delivery. This means that an adult will have to be present at the time of delivery. Please consider shipping to an office address.
During periods of extreme weather, we attempt to ship wines at the beginning of each week in order to get shipments to you before the weekend. This is because we have no control over the temperature conditions at our freight carriers’ warehouses. The result may be that your shipment doesn’t go out the day that you place an order.
We ship by Fedex or Fedex Ground. Our prices include packaging materials. Insurance may be available for an additional charge.
Vintage Wine Merchants, Inc. will arrange for shipment on behalf of the buyer, to an address specified by the buyer, provided that Vintage Wine Merchants, Inc. in its sole judgment believes that such shipment will not subject Vintage Wine Merchants, Inc. to the risk of any sort of legal action or other harm. If a buyer lives in a state where the direct shipment of wine by Vintage Wine Merchants, Inc. violates the law, we suggest that the buyer provide an alternative address in another state or have their wine shipped to a third-party storage facility in a direct shipping-friendly state.
Various states impose limitations on the quantity of alcoholic beverages that may be purchased and brought into their jurisdiction by a purchaser from another state without requiring the purchaser, a seller or shipper to possess certain licenses or permits. Vintage Wine Merchants, Inc. does not, as a condition of sale, assume any obligation nor bear any responsibility whatsoever for applying or obtaining any permits or licenses. Therefore, we recommend that you investigate the possibility of such limitations, and determine the manner in which alcoholic beverages shall be brought into your state from California, so as to comply with all of your state’s requirements.
Wine shipping rules in the United States are controlled by the state you live in. We do not ship wine to the following states at this time: