2007 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rhône France Wine Tasting Note
30120 Views
|
2007
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Opulent, and hedonistic in style, the wine is all about hitting your pleasure buttons with waves of peppery, black cherries, kirsch, garrigue, black plums, and blackberries. The creamy, sensuous finish builds as it lingers. Drink from 2024-2040. 4,389 Views Tasted Mar 22, 2024Lush, sensuous, rich, deep, long and fresh, the fruit is sweet, spicy, earthy and bright. You also find notes of flowers, kirsch and forest herbs. Silky, complex, bright and vibrant, there is an exotic edge to the texture in the finish. As good as this is now, it is only going to get better over the next decade. 4,418 Views Tasted Apr 6, 2022Just an incredible tasting experience from the nose to the palate. Holy Cow! The haunting perfume is more than ample to get things going. But on the palate, where the wine really shines, it is the endless waves sweet, ripe kirsch and cherry notes that stop you in its tracks. Picture layer after layer of elegance and purity and you only start getting what this is all about. Not decanted, which was a minor mistake as the wine got better and better in the glass, filling out and gaining in complexity and softness. This is what great wine is all about! 8,107 Views Tasted Nov 8, 2019Lush, silky, fresh, sensuous, perfectly ripe, richly textured, sweet red fruits from start to finish in the nose, on the palate and in the long, lingering, finish. The perfect blend of concentration, intensity, elegance, complexity uniqueness of character. If you have the money..... This is sublime! 6,418 Views Tasted Aug 22, 2015Rich, deep, concentrated and lush, the wine is packed with the perfect blend of ripe and over ripe cherries, kirsch, black raspberry jam, pepper and earth. This is silky, intense and exotic. As good as this is now, it's only going to get better with time. Rayas has one of the best track records in Chateauneuf du Pape for improving with age. 6,788 Views Tasted Mar 17, 2013 |
When to Drink Chateau Rayas, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time
Chateau Rayas can be enjoyed on the young side. However, the wine is much better with age. Still, due to its soft, pure, elegant, fresh style young vintages can be popped and poured, or decanted for 2 hours, give or take. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.
Chateau Rayas is usually better after 8-10 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage. In the best vintages, the wine should be consumed within 10-30 years after the vintage.
Serving Chateau Rayas with Wine, Food Pairing Tips
Rayas is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.
Chateau Rayas is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, stewed dishes, sausage, and cassoulet. Chateau Rayas is also good with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms pasta, eggplant, and tomatoes.
The white wine of Rayas is best served with a myriad of different seafood dishes, shellfish, crab, lobster, sushi, sashimi, chicken, pork, and veal, as well as Asian cuisine.