Chateau Rayas, Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Rayas Dinner (Chicago, IL) : Bold yet bright black and red cherry aromas with intense herb and spice. Richly fruited but super sleek with nice brightness and some Pinot-like textures. Early peak drinking.

2005 vintage

decanted for 30 min, in the glass far too briefly; brilliant color, astonishing nose; simply a brilliant bottle. crispy duck confit on royal corona beans with escarole

2005 vintage

Emmanuel Reynaud RIP. Enormous legacy and the 2005 is an incredible testament

2005 vintage

Wonderful bottle, in honor of Emmanuel Reynaud’s passing last week. My last bottle, unfortunately, as this wine could easily go another 10-15 years.

2005 vintage

Prononouced nose intensity with dried raisin, cooked red cherry, strawberry, toast, cedar, liquorice. Medium tannin and medium+ acidity. Long acidity. Drinking well now and can improved further with tertiary development. Will easily last for 1 - 2 decades.

2005 vintage

(CdV) Un magnifique Rayas, épanoui, fin, sublime. Nez de mûre, d’herbes de Provence, d’orange sanguine, et les relans habituels des vin d’E. Reynaud (pot pourri, olive verte…) en fond aromatique . C’est plus en bouche ou la marque de fabrique est remarquable, car ce 2005 offre une telle finesse, de la fraîcheur et une magnifique longueur. Sensuel, presque svelte, je ne l’attendais pas à ce niveau. Wouhahou !

2005 vintage

Huge nose of leather, framboises mures, animal, delicious orange blood… WOW super delicious integrated tannin, concentrated and feminine at the same time, leather, super sweet and silky strawberries, perfume, very delicious almost perfect wine!!

2005 vintage

Perfect bottle. Burgundy with a whiff of the mediterranean sea. Gracious at 20 years of age. I'm sure it will be as gracious when it turns 25

2005 vintage

amazing showing. bottled 3 hours before tasting which was (not surprisingly) not enough. very nice nose, elegant that got more intense with the air in the glass. the palate is also very elegant, tanins are smooth and alcohol is under control. Got better and better in the glass. loved it.

2005 vintage

Generously shared by friends after converging at the end of the night. No extensive notes taken, and this was probably just starting to lose a hint of its freshness, having been opened for a long time already, but this was still signature Rayas and very very good. Thanks to E and MAF for sharing and I look forward to trying it again under better conditions to give a proper note and score.

2005 vintage

Ethereal scents of mature strawberries and raspberries, candied fruits from Provence, leather, zan and licorice burst from the glass in the typical Rayas fashion, then pristine definition of the silkiest, purest, and most decadent grenache, showing great complexity and sap in the mid palate, at the same time powerful and weightless, at times porty and at times fresh and lifted, framed by serious tannins hiding behnd the fruit, ending lifted and very long . This is a profoundly concentrated wine …

2005 vintage

Stunning showing, with some structure still in reserve. I think this will age another 15 years or so, and eventually rival the ‘88, ‘89, and ‘90.

2005 vintage

Internationale du Gout - Vertical series #1: Rayas dinner with Morrocan fusion food; 1/19/2024-1/20/2024 (Singapore) : Matched against the '07 - This was a toss-up with the '06 in the previous flight. The '05 nose shared the same attributes only much more restrained. The '05 was the most coiled up of all Rayas tonight and grew a lot in the glass revealing additional scents and flavors as the evening wore on. Narrowly edged the '06 for WOTN. Should be magical …

2005 vintage

Wow, just absolutely gorgeous nose! Very fragrant with lots of strawberries, cherries, a hint of violets, and just a tiny bit of heat. Medium acidity on the palate with more of that gorgeous wild strawberry flavor intertwined with more berries and fruit and a bit of tertiary notes. Very long finish. Oh, what a wine! There is a bit of noticeable alcoholic heat, but it's no way distracting. A wonderfully balanced wine. I'm rating this slightly below the last bottle …

2005 vintage

Just beautiful. Perfumed, long, complex, graceful. There is a core of power and ripeness, likely from the vintage. Drinking great, this is a tremendous wine.

2005 vintage

In a flight of 04, 05 & 06 at the Pressoir Rayas dinner. For me 15-20 years is the sweet spot for Rayas reserve. It's when it shows all its volume, spice, pepper and fruit but is firmly in its drinking winner. At this dinner, the 10 was great but not near ready and the ones from the 90s were not as fresh as I might like so this flight really did it for me. I was lucky to buy …

2005 vintage

Superbe nez de fraises mures, garrigue, soy sauce, animal... Sweet red ripe cherries, salty cherries, lenght 45 sec, very delicious!!

2005 vintage

In a very good place, showing age on nose and colour. Perfumed almost Burgundian. Fleshy with sweet fruit and spice, not sure this will get any better, but will drink for a few years more

2005 vintage

Decanted about 3 hours. Amazing wine, consistent with previous note.

2005 vintage

A Quartet of Rayas : I was an outlier here, as I simply didn't like this vintage. The bottle was in perfect shape, and all three others liked it very much. I just don't seem to appreciate young CDP at all any more (and yes, this was young!). Ranked fourth of four by all four of us (1978,1989,1990,2005).

2005 vintage

Dinner with RJ (Palmetto Bluff) : Youthful expressive nose displaying super concentrated ripe dark red fruit, cherry liqueur, blackberry liqueur, a hint of licorice, strong tobacco, leather, dark caramel, sap, garrigue, sweet spices and mineral. Exceptional concentration, layers upon layers of concentrated dark fruit, rich, sweet and deeply toned, but also beautiful detail and balance, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, and a long intense dark fruit driven finish with tobacco and garrigue at the end. This remains incredibly youthful. …

2005 vintage

Paired with crab, steak tartare, and Mangalitza pork chops for an epic dinner my day before birthday. Not quite singing as the other-worldly ‘07 (LOTB 98 points), but delivered the trademark house cream, stewed strawberry, hay, grass and dark fruit notes that characterize the Rayas stable. Best in the first hour when the candied fruit was most ethereal and the nose smelt of Musigny-like black oolong tea. A little closed by the third hour. Not as hedonistic as the ‘07 …

2005 vintage

100% Grenache from multiple parcels in three different vineyards, most of which have sandy soils and northern exposure - both atypical for Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Vinified in whole bunches which are first crushed and then fermented spontaneously in concrete tanks. Typically the wines are macerated with the skins for approximately two weeks. Aged for 15-16 months in very old (even the youngest ones are several decades old) foudres and demi-muids ranging from 450 to 600 liters. 14% alcohol. Deep, somewhat evolved and …

2005 vintage

La Tablee: Rayas Dinner with Gregory Castells & Martine Saunier (La Mercerie) : Lots of repetition in my notes because lots of similarity in the wines. There is a definite Rayas character that comes through. All about the elegance and slightly ethereal and fresh. More fruit here.

2005 vintage

Still one of the greatest wines, i have ever had. Dense, concentrated, yet very balanced. This really relies on the ripe Grenache with it's dense sweetness, but there is so much more here. Garrigue, sense of place, aristocratic elegance. Starting to open up, I think. #Bagnols-en-Forêts

2005 vintage

Stor fruktig örtig mogen doft med fint integrerade fat med timjan å salvia. Medelfyllig sirlig smak med underbar syra. Fruktig, fatig mogen med milda bär typ hallon. Ett underbart sirligt fruktigt vin med hög drickbarhet.

1984 vintage

Grenache with Panache (Friends apt) : Opened for 8 hours before pouring. This was apparently a really terrible vintage, but honestly I thought the wine was just lovely. Very pretty red fruits. Very nice balance. As it opened in the glass it took on the more herbal notes you expect from a Rayas. Perhaps not overall as 'bright' as the '88 drunk alongside, but (as I said before) still just lovely.

1984 vintage

Grenache with Panache (New York, NY) : Slow ox'd for 8 hours prior to serving. Didn't know what to expect here, no tasting notes to be found anywhere and '84 was a wet & cold vintage - but Rayas pulls through again with a 33 year bottle from a lousy year. Clearly a more austere style than some of the warmer vintages, but this still has lots to offer. Acidity is more prominent, the fruit is not up front and …

1984 vintage

This is the oldest Rayas I've had and had been decanted for several hours. I'm not sure if the growing conditions were similar to 1999 which I understand it to be a cold and wet. Nonetheless, the 1984 was still drinking well but without the red fruit and floral notes that I associate with Rayas. As someone noted earlier, black tea and wet earth combine with plums make up the profile. It is medium bodied with fully integrated tannins. There …

1984 vintage

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Chateau Rayas, Chateauneuf-du-Pape

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