1989 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rhône France Wine Tasting Note

With an intoxicating nose of flowers, tobacco, orange spice, herbs, cherries, and raspberries, you already know this is going to be special. The long, sensuous, silky, refined, and pure, seamless seals the deal. No decanting or aging warranted. Drink from 2026-2031.

33 Views   Tasted Jan 7, 2026

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With prices continuing to rise on older Rayas, it is almost impossible to taste them these days. This bottle was not quite as good as other examples, yet it still had a lot to offer starting with its nose of dried roses, peppery, black raspberries, kirsch, olives, truffle, and herbs. Medium-bodied, silky, and fresh, with the perfect light touch to the kirsch and red plum finish. Drink from 2023-2029.

An incredible tasting experience, it is hard to know where to start. Do you focus on the elegance, refinement, and silky tannins? Or, is it the purity in the fruit, with its breathtaking array of sweet cherries and kirsch? Perhaps the perfume, with its floral, red berry, herb, earth or cornucopia of spices? Maybe, it is the finish that does not quit? As I said, I have no idea where to start. But with wines like this, it really doesn't matter, does it?

As the wine continues getting harder to find, and thus dramatically more expensive, it's much harder to taste these days. So I was thrilled to see this beauty in the lineup. The garrigue was strong in this one, and the hint of brett took away from overall experience. Still, it was impossible not to dig the silky textured, floral, sweet, red cherry, black raspberry, pepper and thyme notes. The wine is soft, fresh and vibrant, with sensuous textures and delicate, pure cherries in the finish. This is at peak. If you are planning on popping a cork, over the next few years would be ideal.

Kirsch, pepper, spice, anise, mineral, strawberry and garrigue aromas were easy to find. Rich, concentrated and fresh, this lively, pure, intense, sweet, cherry and kirsch filled vintage of Rayas is fully mature. I have tasted better bottles of 1989 Rayas. This was a good example, but not a great one.

Perfume filled with fresh, ripe, peppery raspberry and black cherry , garrigue and soil with a tiny hint of VA were all over the place and in your face! This concentrated, lush, intense, sauvage Chateauneuf du Pape wine is filled with ripe, dark cherry and black raspberry flavors.

Richness, intensity and purity of fruit. 89 Rayas with its tell tale kirsch dominated nose, pepper, anise and minerality, paired with beautiful textures and sweet red fruit, excited your senses.

The nose explodes from the glass, but the aromas are delicate strawberries, earth, spices, herbs and cherry scents. This is a full bodied, thick, rich, lusty style of Chateauneuf. But not heavy. It's perfectly balanced. For me, the older bottles of Rayas are a unique experience. There is a core of red, almost over ripe cherries and cherry liqueur, along with a deep texture, that coats your palate. Those qualities make Rayas stand out in blind tasting from ever other Chateauneuf. The finish remains in your mouth for a minute!