1978 Chateau Fonsalette Côtes du Rhône Rouge
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Tasting notes
Sadly, the last bottle of my case of this wine was drunk over the holidays. Delicious since the early eighties, it is still a beauty, offering plenty of peppery, black-raspberry and cherry fruit, along with copious quantities of earth, truffles, and spice, loads of glycerin, and a chewy, fleshy mouthfeel. There is only slight amber at the edge. It is a terrific Fonsalette that should be surpassed by the 1989 and 1990. Imported by Martine's Wines, San Rafael, CA; tel. (415) 485-1800, Wines of France, Alain Junguenet, Mountainside, NJ; tel. (908) 654-6173, and Ideal Wines, Medford, MA; tel. (617) 395-3300
Critic scores
Robert Parker
About the producer

Ch. Rayas is a cult name in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The wines – pure, silken expressions of Grenache with distinctive perfume – are revered for their singularity and fiercely collected. Made by Emmanuel Reynaud and renowned for their ageability, they have become some of the region's most sought-after.