The winery is located in the commune of Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the area of the same name in the southern Rhône valley. Jacques Reynaud (+1997), who was already legendary during his lifetime, introduced rigorous organic viticulture. Since his death, the estate has been run by his nephew Emmanuel, who had already made a name for himself with his Château des Tours in Vaqueyras before taking over. The vineyards cover 15 hectares of vines. Of these, 13 hectares are planted with the red wine varieties Grenache Noir (90%), Cinsaut and Syrah, and two hectares with white wine varieties. The red wine is made from 100% pure Grenache Noir (Garnacha Tinta) and matures for one to three years in 450 litre oak barrels, depending on the vintage.
The high quality is achieved through ancient vines and a rigorous yield restriction of 15 hectolitres/hectare (half the AC designation). Another reason is the soil conditions. The heat-retaining, fist- to head-sized "galets roules" (rolling pebbles), for which the Châteauneuf-du-Pape region is famous, have been almost completely removed from the sandy vineyards. This leads to slightly delayed ripening and therefore a somewhat longer growing season, which is probably partly responsible for the enormous complexity and depth of flavour.
The deep, dark red wine is considered to be one of the best Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines alongside that of Château de Beaucastel and is also one of the best red wines in the world. It is extremely long-lived and can be stored for at least 20 to 30 years or longer. The second wine is called "Pignan", which is also one of the best in the appellation. Only small quantities are produced, 10,000 to 20,000 bottles of first wine and, depending on the vintage, up to 12,000 bottles of second wine. In most cases, the few bottles are distributed to loyal regular customers. There is also a white version. Regardless of the celebrities, hardly anyone manages to visit the estate. Under the AOC designation Côtes du Rhône, the brands "Fonsalette" are produced in red (Grenache, Cinsaut and Syrah, as well as a single-varietal Syrah) and white (Grenache Blanc, Marsanne and Clairette), as well as "La Pialade".
