For a better Search Result, use the Advanced Wine Search. Else, enter the wine name and the vintage if desired, or the region for tasting notes. If you don’t get the result you’re seeking, either we do not have tasting notes on the wine or for that exact year. To help your search results, broaden your search to just the wine name and check for spelling errors. You can sort your results by ratings, vintage or alphabetically.
Château Rayas
36 notes Sort by: Vintage - Name - Rating
|
2017
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Elegance, refinement and a remarkable purity of fruit are the hallmarks of this vintage at Rayas. The kirsch is silky, fresh, juicy, long and sensuous, with length and complexity. The parade of ripe, red fruits in the finish stays with you for close to 60 seconds. The wine is not yet bottled. But it is quite clear this is going to be one of the top vintages for Rayas. 6,025 Views Tasted Nov 25, 2019 |
|
2016
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Clearly, this is going to be one of the great vintages of Rayas ever produced! With a finish that sticks with you for over 60 seconds, the endless layers of silky, fresh, sweet, vibrant, cherries grabs you. The fruit has this haunting sense of purity that makes you wonder, how on earth did they capture that? There is depth, complexity and volume that goes on for days. Rayas is becoming harder to find every year. But if you have the disposable income and the connections to land a few bottles of this magic elixir, jump on it. Wines like this do not come around all that often. 7,198 Views Tasted Sep 18, 2018 |
|
2015
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
I'm not sure if it's the incredible purity of the fruit, the elegant stylings, or the silky tannins that make you want to take sip, after sip of this elixir. But this is just great! The pure kirsch and cherry sensations are to die for. The finish must last over 40 seconds. The wine is made from 100% Grenache. If you can find it, and afford it, this is a beauty. 4,636 Views Tasted Aug 21, 2017 |
|
2014
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
With supple textures, ripe, sweet red fruits, thyme, pepper and fresh herbs, the wine is medium bodied, refined and silky, with a beautiful, bright, purity of fruit, and a supple textured finish. This should drink well on release. 3,714 Views Tasted Aug 7, 2016 |
|
2013
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Light style of Rayas, medium bodied, with a bright, crispy, fresh, pure red cherry center, with silky tannins and a spicy, kirsch finish. This is a very, silky, seductive, forward style of Rayas that should hold you until the 2015 comes around. 2,866 Views Tasted Aug 7, 2016 |
|
2011
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Medium-bodied, lighter, elegant, fresh, vibrant-styled wine with a focus on its core of sweet, earthy, spicy kirsch, and finesse-edged finish. This is close to fully developed, there is no reason to wait to open a bottle if you own any. Drink from 2024-2031. 622 Views Tasted Mar 22, 2024 |
|
2010
Château Rayas Blanc Réserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Tropical in nature, with flowers, white peach, honey and melon notes. Rich, slightly oily and sweet, there is good freshness in the finish. The wine was made from blending 50% Grenache Blanc with 50% Clairette. 3,140 Views Tasted May 22, 2017 |
|
2010
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Elegance meshed with power, purity, and complexity says it all. This stunner, and it is stunning offers a complex array of roses, kirsch, licorice, cherries, raspberries, and kirsch in the perfume. And the palate is even better with its endless layers of vibrant, opulent, deep, red fruits, spice, and pepper herbs that do not want to quit. While you can enjoy this today, give it some more time as this will age for decades. Drink from 2028-2050. 772 Views Tasted Mar 22, 2024 |
|
2009
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Simply fabulous, hedonistic, opulent, and deep, the wine is packed with dark cherries, kirsch, pepper, herbs, and earth. The wine is supple, rich, fresh, and long, with length, depth, and purity. This is beautiful now and is only going to better from here. Drink from 2024-2040. 649 Views Tasted Mar 22, 2024The intensity of the nose, with its bouquet of flowers, black raspberries, kirsch, orange rind, cherries, and thyme get everything off to a good start. On the palate, you find that rare combination of freshness, sensuous textures, and an ocean of perfectly ripe, sweet red fruits that express a gorgeous sense of purity in the long, seamless, silky, creamy finish. With a few years of age, this could score even higher! This is Chateauneuf du Pape at its best. Drink from 2022-2044. 4,119 Views Tasted Nov 3, 2022 |
|
2009
Château Rayas Blanc Réserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
This is a wine I almost never taste. But when offered a glass, I jumped at the chance. With a nose of flowers, honeydew melon, white peach, candied grapefruit and orange blossom, the wine is sweet, and fresh at the same time. There is good concentration of flavor and a luscious, fresh, almost fat, sweet fruit filled finish. The wine was made from a blend of 50% Grenache Blanc and 50% Clairette. 4,091 Views Tasted Oct 2, 2015 |
|
2008
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
A lighter style for Rayas. Medium-bodied, with pretty red fruits, elegant, soft and refined, but there is a distinctive herbal and green olive tone on the palate and in the finish that is one of the dominant facets of the wine. It is quite strong and intrudes on the sweet kirsch and cherry notes. 3,924 Views Tasted Aug 24, 2020 |
|
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. 844 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. 4,091 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! 7,773 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! 6,139 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. 6,514 Views Tasted Mar 17, 2013 |
|
2006
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Elegance, freshness and layers of sweet, silky textured cherries, black raspberries and wild strawberries are all over the place. The wine offers more elegance, freshness and restraint than power. This should be a bit better with a few more years of age. 4,706 Views Tasted Aug 7, 2016 |
|
2006
Château Rayas Pignan Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Black raspberry, jam, kirsch and pepper aromas, medium body and sweet kirsch flavors with a touch of olive and herbal sensations in the elegant, textured finish. This is already drinking well. 4,010 Views Tasted Oct 12, 2011 |
|
2005
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
With the price of Rayas being what it is today, I am not sure how much more often I will see these wines. What a treat! The nose, with its flowers, wild strawberry, kirsch, peppery cherry, and mild herbal slants hit it just right. But it was on the palate, with its purity, silky textures, length, and lift that stole the show. Wines like this should be tasted at least once so wine lovers know what the benchmark wines taste like. 4,259 Views Tasted Oct 22, 2021Just starting to get interesting, the wine is full, supple, complex, deep and displays its purity of fruit, refinement and silky tannins with ease. If you own any, you can pop it now for its gorgeous, pure, sweet, fresh, red fruit, or wait another 5-10 years for more secondary development. 5,196 Views Tasted Feb 10, 2020A beautiful expression of Grenache and Rays, with its silky, smooth, ripe, fresh cherries, black raspberries and spice. Still young, you can enjoy it now for its youthful, vigor, ripe red berries and freshness, or you can age it for a decade for more complexity. 7,532 Views Tasted Aug 22, 2015Wow! That says it all. Clearly, this vintage marks the return to greatness for what many people think is the best wine of Chateauneuf du Pape. Pepper, jammy kirsch, fennel, black raspberries, spice and earthy scents explode from the glass. Rich and mouth filling, with an elegant presence, the wine offers intense, silky, pure, lush, fresh, spicy strawberry, dark cherry, pepper and raspberry jam flavors. Like all great vintages of Rayas, this should age and improve for at least 20-25 years. 7,254 Views Tasted Sep 22, 2011 |
|
2004
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Medium bodied, fresh, silky styled wine that remains focused on the purity of the red fruits, soft, elegant, refined and silky textures and the sweetness of the fruit and spice in the finish. Popped and poured, this will get even better with a few more years in the bottle. 4,398 Views Tasted Aug 7, 2016 |
|
2003
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Fully mature, but will plenty to offer Grenache lovers due to its silky, lushly textured character, pure, ripe and very ripe, red pit fruits, kirsch and earthy traits. There is a good combination of a sunny vintage, with earthy, barnyard accents and peppery red plum jam to top things off. This is not a wine I would age for decades. It is probably close to peak now. 3,924 Views Tasted Jun 4, 2018Probably close to fully mature, the earthy, sweet, kirsch and barnyard characteristics really stand out here. Silky, soft, medium bodied, elegant and wild, this is probably drinking at peak today. 3,804 Views Tasted Mar 26, 2017Avoiding all the trappings of this extreme vintage, the kirsch, black raspberry, spice and garrigue is all over the place. Lush, sensuous, clean and pure, with no sensation of heat of jammy flavors, this is drinking extremely well today. 4,325 Views Tasted Aug 7, 2016 |
|
2001
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Fully-evolved, with its focus on dried cherries, roses, orange peel, and zesty, sweet kirsch. Lighter in weight than the top vintages, there is a gorgeous sense of purity to the sweet kirsch and cherries. I just wish there was more of it. Drink from 2024-2031. 451 Views Tasted Mar 22, 2024Now we are talking, this stunner keeps getting better and better. The sweet, ripe red fruits shows accents of pepper, garrigue, flowers, plums and olives. There is a lushness to the fruit, energy, balance and length in the silky textured, pure, cherry finish. This is drinking great today. I wish I had more than 1 bottle left. Oh well, such is life. 4,349 Views Tasted Jun 4, 2018Focused on elegance, instead of power, here you find, soft, refined layers of sweet, fresh, kirsch, black raspberries, flowers and earth. The wine is medium bodied, refined, and ready to drink as it shows both on the palate and in the perfume. 3,004 Views Tasted Feb 17, 2018Wow, what a treat! Silky, soft and smooth, with layers of lush cherries, kirsch, pepper, spice, strawberry, black raspberry liqueur and fresh herbs. The fruit has an intensity of flavor and purity that is hard to find in any other wine. 6,568 Views Tasted May 30, 2014 |
|
2000
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
A very good wine, but perhaps not a great Rayas. The wine is medium bodied, soft, silky, fresh and lively. The fruit is pure, clean and sweet, but the finish is bit short, although it is damn sexy. 4,805 Views Tasted Jun 4, 2018Much better than my previous bottle a few years ago, this was splendid. Elegant, refined, medium bodied, sweet, and fresh, there is a purity to the kirsch and softness in the texture that is really showing well. This is about balance and elegance. Fully mature, if you have a bottle, pop a cork. 3,720 Views Tasted May 18, 2017Lots of bright red, spicy berries and kirsch, along with silky textures, which is a good thing. But the notes of olive, and herbs are quite prominent, which took away from the fruit. I found that distracting. This is drinking at peak. 5,078 Views Tasted May 24, 2013 |
|
1999
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Ripe, jammy cherries and raspberries, spices and herbs make up the perfume. Medium bodied with good balance, I wish the wine had a bit more depth. Still, it was nice and displayed Rayas character. Fully mature, drink this over the next 6-8 years. 4,701 Views Tasted Jan 21, 2007Jammy fruit, kirsch, herbs and earth aromas. Medium bodied with good balance. Elegant in style. 4,641 Views Tasted Jul 12, 20051999 Rayas is a very nice wine. extremely accessible, ready to drink, Fragrant, not very powerful but the flavors grew in the glass. This is a nice wine, but it's not like any of the older versions of Rayas that were so spectacular. It is close in style to the 94, with less depth. 4,939 Views Tasted Nov 4, 2003 |
|
1998
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Black raspberries, kirsch, garrigue, plums, and black cherries are all over the place. A bit light in weight, but still, quite charming, and fully-ready-to-go. Drink from 2024-2028. 395 Views Tasted Mar 22, 2024Just about fully mature, the wine remains fresh ad focused on its core of raspberry, kirsch and peppery herbs. Soft, spicy, and bright, with a spicy edge, this is fully ready to go. 3,073 Views Tasted Apr 6, 2022Ready to go, the wine is medium bodied, elegant, fresh, sweet and pure. There is a peppery, herbal complexity that adds to the black raspberry and kirsch notes that make up the central core of the wine. The wine lacks the levels of density found in the the best vintages of Rayas, but there is still more than ample, sweet, silky, fresh fruits in every sip, making this a treat to taste. This is probably fully mature and will not get much better. It's not a wine for long term aging at this point. 3,161 Views Tasted Aug 7, 2016The purity of the cherry, strawberry and plum fruits is hard to beat. Add in spice, mint and pepper, the texture of exotic silk and a sweet, kirsch filled finish and you have a bottle of 1998 Rayas. What it lacks in depth, it makes up for in style and character. This is drinking in the sweet spot today. 4,634 Views Tasted Dec 28, 2013Pepper, fresh black raspberry, kirsch, earth and spice aromas pop from the glass as soon as the wine is poured. With soft, round textures coupled with fresh, clean, spicy cherry, raspberry and jammy strawberry flavors in the finish, this has improved over the past few years. While the wine lacks the power of the best vintages Rayas can produce, it offers a beautiful, stylistic expression of Rayas. 4,777 Views Tasted Jan 28, 2012A wine all Burgundy should aspire to be. However, at the current price which is close to $200 per bottles, it's a wine Chateauneuf lovers should pass on. This is probably close to full maturity. Aromatics of red fruits and cherry tones on the finish. Medium to light bodied in texture. Nice personality. But not enough concentration or complexity. I prefer the 94, 97 & 99 Rayas to the 98. They are all superior vintages of Rayas for a lot less money. 5,326 Views Tasted Nov 1, 2007 |
|
1997
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Probably slightly past its peak, the wine has some VA along with its floral, herb and cherry notes. Soft and short, medium bodied with sweet and tart bright, red berries in the finish. The wine is pretty, but it is starting to fade, so drink up if you have a bottle hanging around. 3,057 Views Tasted Jun 4, 2018Telltale kirsch and pepper note that only Rayas has. Fully developed. Slightly light, but, definitely in the style of Rayas. 2,916 Views Tasted Jul 25, 2005 |
|
1996
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Past full maturity and starting to drop its fruit, the wine shows too much pepper, herbs and earthy notes at this stage of life, causing you to miss some of the beautiful, kirsch and pure cherry tones that are associated with the wine. The finish shows a slight rustic edge in the end notes. If you're sitting on a few bottles, it's time to drink up, before more of the fruit fades away. One important note on this vintage that needs to be recognized, it was the final vintage that was produced by Jacques Reynaud. This was the first year that Emmanuel Reynaud completed the aging process and bottled the wine. From that point forward, Emmanuel Reynaud took charge of the estate. 2,946 Views Tasted Aug 7, 2016 |
|
1995
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
One of the great vintages of Rayas is still on top of its game. Full, deep, and intense, the wine opens with garrigue, peppery herbs, kirsch, flowers, smoked herbs, and spice. The vibrant palate is long, seamless, and fresh, delivering non-stop, seamless layers of sweet, ripe kirsch. Drink from 2024-2038. 483 Views Tasted Mar 22, 2024The best bottle of this I have ever tasted! Perhaps it's due to reaching maturity at 25 years of age, or maybe the cork was perfect. The provenance was right as I have held this since close to release. Regardless, from start to finish, this was heart-stopping! The wealth of cherries, ranging from white, to red to black, coupled with sweet plums, soaking in kirsch on the nose and palate was gorgeous. But it is the incredible purity of the fruit, the elegance, refinement, length and persistence, with a seamless, silky, 60 second finish that carried it across the triple-digit goal post. Wines like this define what great wines are all about. 5,319 Views Tasted Nov 20, 2019What's not to love? A blast of perfectly ripe kirsch, cherry liqueur, garrigue, spice and fennel on the nose. Pure silky cherries on the palate and a long, elegant, rich, fruit filled finish that stays with you. This tastes at least 10 years younger than its true age. Absolutely stunning! This might deserve another Pt, this is the best showing yet for this beauty... 3,198 Views Tasted Sep 7, 2017Still young, fresh and lively and 20, the wine is intense, concentrated and packed with red, white and black cherries, along with Framboise, garrigue and spice. This quite powerful for a 20 year old Chateauneuf du Pape. 3,013 Views Tasted Aug 22, 2015Surprisingly young, the wine is deep, concentrated and fresh, with layers of sweet, ripe and over ripe cherries, kirsch, strawberry liqueur, pepper and herbs. Popped and poured, the wine improved in the glass. A short decant would have helped soften the wine and allow more aromatics to shine. This really showed like it was at least 5-10 years younger. It's too bad Rayas is now so expensive. It's as much, or more of a treat than a First Growth when these bottles are popped today. 3,419 Views Tasted Jul 26, 2014Wow! Or should I say WOW! This is everything that is great about Chateauneuf du Pape and Rayas. Kirsch, earth, garrigue, cherry liqueur and pepper, with silky, attention grabbing textures and a long, concentrated, fresh, clean, pure cherry finish. This is entering the sweet spot of its drinking window. OK, it's pricey, but this is Rayas from a great vintage, what did you expect? 4,640 Views Tasted May 24, 2013An explosion of lavender, cherry griotte, black pepper, licorice, stone, earth, spice, black raspberry and strawberry jam greets your nose. Lush, dense, sensuous and palate coating, this spicy, intense, ripe, peppery, sweet cherry filled Chateauneuf du Pape is a stunning example of what Rayas does at its best. 6,119 Views Tasted Mar 14, 2012Ripe kirsch, strawberry and cherry flavors paried with intensity, purity and a sexy, sauvage profile. Still young . 2,398 Views Tasted Feb 23, 2009 |
|
1995
Château Rayas Pignan Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
This is not going to confuse anyone in a blind tasting against its big brother, still, there is good concentration, the tannins have melted away and you find a bucket of kirsch, garrigue and pepper in every sniff and sip. A but of the rustic side, but perfect for drinking now, and over the next few years. 2,903 Views Tasted May 12, 2015 |
|
1994
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
From a vintage without much of a reputation, this is quite a surprise. The wine offers ample levels of sweet, ripe, kirsch, dried flowers, mint, and spice. On the palate, the wine is fresh, refined, medium-bodied, and loaded with sweet, bright, kirsch notes. Drink from 2024-2030. 372 Views Tasted Mar 22, 2024At peak, this beauty displayed its not-stop, sexy, kirsch notes on the nose and palate, accompanied by a cornucopia of fresh herbs and spice. Elegant, refined, medium-bodied and fresh, if you have a bottle, pop a cork as it's not going to improve. While the wine lacks the depth and power of the best vintages, the Rayas style is unmistakable here. For a Rayas with bottle-age, this is probably the best deal out there. 2,659 Views Tasted Jul 29, 2019That telltale Rayas aroma of kirsch, cherry cough syrup, black pepper and herbs was showing its stuff! Medium to full bodied with layers ripe, red fruits including raspberries, strawberries and cherries on the palate. Slightly short finish with not quite enough on the mid palate to be great. 2,733 Views Tasted Aug 7, 2009 |
|
1990
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
An incredible tasting experience. The wealth of sweet, ripe, silky, refined cherries and kirsch is almost beyond belief. Not quite as concentrated or fresh as it was just a few years ago, this stunner offers a uniqueness of character not found in other wines. The purity in the fruit is spell-binding. There is length, complexity and sensuality that grabs you and keeps your interest from start to finish. This is not a wine to hold for further development. While the decline will be slow, it's best to catch this at, or close to its peak and not on the way down. 4,967 Views Tasted Feb 10, 2020This bottle was incredible. With the texture of flawless silk, the purity in the kirsch and cherry fruit was off the charts! With a finish of close to 60 seconds, it lets you experience the stellar perfume, silky palate and perfectly ripe fresh, red fruits again and again. Some bottles have of the 1990, have seemed slightly past their prime, but not on this night, everything was, well, perfect! This is not a wine for long decants, either pop and pour, or splash decant and enjoy the magic! This is mature Chateauneuf at its best... 4,924 Views Tasted Sep 7, 2017Over the years, Rayas has evolved into an almost mythical wine. So each bottle popped is a rare treat and this was no exception. Medium bodied and all about the finesse and elegance in the fruit the sandy soils can provide, the wine serves up ripe, very ripe and extremely ripe cherries, kirsch, liqueur, earth and garrigue notes. Silky, sweet and utterly delicious in the finish, this is a stunning wine and a treat to taste. 5,818 Views Tasted Dec 3, 2015Ripe, very ripe, extremely ripe and over ripe cherries of every type put on a non stop, showy display, complicated by earth, herbs and spicy black raspberries. Silky, sexy, smooth and vibrant, this is the best bottle of 1990 Rayas I've tasted in years. 6,271 Views Tasted Aug 18, 2014Spicy cherries, earth, kirsch, jammy raspberry and spice scents explode from the glass. The palate enjoys layers of soft, ripe, polished, sweet red fruits. This is the epitome of finesse in Chateauneuf du Pape. Fully mature, and stunning in every way, but it's not as deep as it was a 3-5 years ago. There is no reason to hold this wine any longer. 5,165 Views Tasted May 26, 2012Very lush with sexy ripe fruit. This reminded me of liquefied, spicy cherries 5,514 Views Tasted Feb 23, 2006 |
|
1990
Château Rayas Pignan Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
I'd bet in blind tastings, even the best tasters would think this was Rayas with its silky, lush, ripe, sweet, spicy, pure red fruits and a finish that leaves with layers of fresh, sweet, ripe, raspberries, kirsch and spicy cherries. This is at peak and does not need further aging. 4,869 Views Tasted Jul 23, 2015 |
|
1989
Château Rayas Château de Fonsalette Reserve (Côtes du Rhône)
Very spicy, with notes of pepper, cinnamon, fresh herbs and black fruit. Full bodied, dense with a healthy dose of tannin to resolve. On the palate, black fruit and cherries. A rustic style of wine that while I recognize it's well made, it's not my style of wine 1,575 Views Tasted May 19, 2005 |
|
1989
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
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. 1,463 Views Tasted Nov 15, 2023An 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? 5,518 Views Tasted Feb 10, 2020As 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. 3,681 Views Tasted Jun 4, 2018Kirsch, 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. 5,366 Views Tasted Mar 14, 2012Perfume 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. 6,320 Views Tasted Dec 7, 2009Richness, 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. 5,293 Views Tasted Feb 23, 2006The 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! 4,092 Views Tasted May 19, 2005 |
|
1989
Château Rayas Pignan Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
A major step up from the Fonselatte. Spicy, peppery nose with forest scents, garraguie notes with jammy red and black fruits. Great structure. Full bodied with a long finish. On the palate, a unique combination of jammy, ripe and over ripe, red and black fruit. Pignan is a completely different style of wine than Rayas. It's wild, rustic and savage. This is not delicate. This wine is in your face wine. But I love it! 1,702 Views Tasted May 19, 2005Pignan can be a mini Rayas. It lacks the sophistication and power of Rayas, but at a quarter the price, it’s a good substitute. Unable to pay attention, my general impression was of a fully mature wine offering notes of pepper and very ripe red fruits in a full bodied and robust style. 1,840 Views Tasted Jun 30, 2003 |
|
1988
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
As stunning as the previous bottle, this gem popped with its complex aromatic profile, easily displaying its flowers, spice, citrus, herbs, cherries, and black raspberries. The wine remains fresh, almost zesty with a peppery edge to the herb, and kirsch-packed finish. This is a beauty! Drink from 2024-2032. 372 Views Tasted Mar 22, 2024It took a while, but, clearly, it was worth the wait. The nose was gorgeous with its kirsch, raspberry, garrigue, rose petal, and assorted, dried, green herbs. The palate was its equal with its vibrant, lively, earthy, red berry, cherry, strawberry, and spice character, length, balance, and energy. There is no need to wait, or decant, just pop, pour, and enjoy the thrilling ride. Drink from 2023-2030. 1,741 Views Tasted Sep 25, 2023Fully mature, with an exotic, kirsch, earth and wild, dark cherry profile, the wine is concentrated, slightly firm, fresh and with air, additional lush qualities emerge. I would not age this much longer. It is not going to fall apart overnight, but it is not going to improve from here either. 3,160 Views Tasted Aug 31, 2016Earthy, with a touch of barnyard in the kirsch, pepper, garrigue, strawberry, cherry liqueur, spice and black cherry scented perfume. This is a semi masculine, powerful style of Rayas that can still age, if it has been well stored. 5,045 Views Tasted Jun 4, 2013 |
|
1986
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
A strong balsamic sensation overwhelms the strawberry, earth and Asian notes. The wine is medium bodied, soft, silky and shows a metallic leaning to the sweet and tart, red berry finish. Drink up as this was probably at peak well over a decade ago. 3,786 Views Tasted Jun 4, 2018 |
|
1985
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
The intoxicating, complex perfume of pure kirsch, fresh raspberry, pepper, earth, red plum liqueur, cherry blossoms and the equivalent of shoving your nose in an over-stuffed spice box drawer, makes it close to impossible to stop enjoying the aromas and taste the wine. The textures are pure silk and velvet with that unique exotic, and little bit of kinkiness that is only found in the top vintages of Rayas. Medium bodied, (Rayas is never about power) with a beautiful purity of spicy, ripe and over ripe red fruits, this is drinking at peak maturity. Fortunately, I still have one bottle left. I'll probably pop it when the wine hits 30, as I want to retain as much fruit and freshness as possible. 5,576 Views Tasted Jun 9, 2012 |
|
1983
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Elegant, spicy, floral, and loaded with kirsch, black raspberries, olives, leaves, and garrigue. Medium-bodied, finesse driven, the wine is still delivering the goods, though I would not hold my luck with further aging. Drink from 2024-2029. 325 Views Tasted Mar 22, 2024Kirsch, pepper, cherry liqueur and garrigue notes lead to an elegant, soft, silky, sweet, fresh, cherry, wild strawberry and herbal finish. I recall tasting this years ago and while the wine has faded from its peak, it's still a treat to experience. But there is no reason to continue aging it any longer. 3,808 Views Tasted Jul 23, 2015 |
|
1978
Château Rayas Reserve (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Blasting off with a perfume that needed only to be popped and poured to reveal its floral, earthy, garrigue, cherry tobacco, kirsch, strawberry and raspberry essence, the wine was pure silk on the palate. Medium bodied, finesse in style, with sweetness and freshness to the fruit, while clearly fading with age, this is an incredible style of Chateauneuf that cannot be replicated. Having not seen a bottle of this for wines, I never thought I'd taste it again. But Bacchus must like me, as I've tasted it 3 times over the past 12 months. One bottle was over the hill, one bottle was good, but tired. This note is for the most recently tasted bottle, which showed the best. Due to age and storage, each bottle was different, leading me to say, it's a wine to purchase with extreme caution. 3,232 Views Tasted Jul 23, 2015 |
