A good but not great Rayas and clearly this bottle did not show this wine at its best with some oxidization on the nose. It did get much better over the course of the evening with some sweetness with hints of raspberries & the ethereal quality that I was hoping to find in this wine.
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Lighter than the 78, vosne-like. Perfect fragrance, sweet, very perfumed, berries and cherry stone zest. Refined structure, silky, Burgundian, delicious. Plums, red berries, strawberries, ripe but old, no earth, superb.
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Method: pop and pour; cellar temp; Cab glass; pretty sure this bottle was acquired on release and professionally stored since and seemed to be in perfect condition
Nose: menthol, light soil, light raspberry, light mushroom, tree bark; very expressive
Palate: raspberry coulis, tree bark; long finish of raspberry, minerals, graphite, tree bark, mint; dry; medium- body; medium- fine tannin; medium+ bright acidity
Overall: Wow, this is the full package. Complex, elegant yet concentrated and expressive, and vibrant. It actually benefitted from air as the rasberry fruit filled out and became more intense after maybe 45 minutes or so. I only has maybe 1/2 glass over an our, and I wouldn't be surprised if the wine would've continued to improve beyond that point. Excellent wine.
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Decanted for 2 hours. Ruby red with an amber rim. Slightly mature nose, raspberry, licorice and vanilla aromas. Firm palate, still very fresh with lively muted fruit notes of raspberry and cherry and lots of spicy complexity. The fruit really dances on your palate, showing excellent balance and complexity with an extra dimension that results in a truly transcendent wine experience. Such a fun wine to experience.
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A Quartet of Rayas: Also a great bottle, and showed an attractive maturity that I really liked. Ranked by all four of us as a very close third to the 1989 in our quartet (1978,1989,1990,2005).
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Really fun to drink, from a case I bought 25 years ago, I have not had this wine in almost a decade. Not the exuberant pup it once was, and yet it maintains that incredible sex appeal. This became even more evident when we poured a great 90 Cheval Blanc in the next glass, and we could appreciate just how wonderfully slutty the dark cherry, earth and licorice was in this beauty. Singular
This is definitely an old wine: The cork was protruding from the bottle. The color is brown all the way through. There are no remaining tannins, and there is some of the plum pudding aroma that is suggestive of vintage port. But, boy, oh boy, this is a delicious wine. It's almost transparent, and light but intense. It has a complex set of flavors, starting with cherry, and then proceeding through a variety of spices -- clove and nutmeg and others. It has a sweetness and a smoothness that creates a sensation of weight, but the overall sense is of something delicate and ethereal. The idea that this is accomplished with Grenache is staggering. A complete treat.
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PNP in Zalto Bordeaux glass (“Root” day): Pale garnet and bright colours.
Red prunes and wild red berries at its most regal, intense and complex manner here. Earthy florals, herbal and herbaceous notes in the best way possible. Ultra detailed spices like star anises, assortment of white spices and hints of dried rose petals too.
Again incredibly gentle on texture yet what a great follow through on the nose. Mind boggling amount of minerality and fine boned acidity here. Super intense and concentrated without any weight indeed. Superbly rich and incredible length.
Ingenious combo of spice box of the best of Rhone/Bordeaux and the elegance of the top Bourgogne. 96 points to me and what an incredible experience…!
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Very ripe with a unique flavor profile. Quite a different experience from drinking younger Rayas, this lacks some of the freshness by comparison but replaces that with gobs of complexity and weight. Drank side-by-side with a 90' Chave Hermitage, and between the two I'd have to pick the Chave by a hair, but of course very different wines. In all honesty, I've preferred many of the younger vintages of Rayas I've tried -- e.g., 06' and 08' specifically.
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Crystal clear with a fair amount of sediment. (Stood upright for a week+) Haunting aromatic Pungent electric cherry candy nose (like sticking your tongue on a 9V battery) Unctuous sweet grenache fruit. Totally seamless, really quite remarkable. Worthy of a sincere effort. Quite possibly the most complete red I have ever enjoyed.
While this does not appear in decline, I wouldn’t hesitate to enjoy this now. The most perfect wine I have ever had
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Tasted by invite from Montesquieu (thank you!), and agree with that assessment. I rated slightly higher in appreciation of the silky-sweet, pure fruit remaining on air and palate. Echoes of old Barolo. A real treat to discover and enjoy this legendary wine's lovely endpoint.
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Incredibly grateful for the opportunity to share this wine, thanks to a generous gift with firm instructions to "drink this bottle this holiday season". Caveat my score with the knowledge that this bottle still suffered from the shock of shipment and, unwisely, wasn't filtered by us. We poured straight from the bottle, gave pourings much-needed time to aerate in glass, and enjoyed over 2.5 hours. My three friends were more generous in their scores of 100, 99, and 98. I think it's past its peak and would encourage holders to open and enjoy; it may have years or even decades to go, but I don't think its future will beat its past.
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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.
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Magnum. This is simple stunning. Deep red berries, spice, just a hint of barnyard, enlivening acidity keeps it fresh. Perfect balance. Very long finish, resonates for 30 seconds. In this format has years ahead.
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1er souper à Hilltop (Lac Memphrémagog): Nez très discret cave humide, sous-bois, champignons. Il n’a plus le légendaire nez du domaine, mais c’est fort agréable. Bouche délicate, d’une grande finesse, encore un peu sucrée, pas le plus expansif, mais sans doute le plus fin. À boire sans trop tarder, certes, mais c’est encore magnifique, quoique sans doute pas aussi grand qu’il y a 10 ans. 94-95 pts
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World's Greatest, Hong Kong - Night III (8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana, Macau): Whereas the ‘89 is overripe and woody this has fresh and pretty florals over red and black fruit. Dark teas but not tired. Ripe and delicious red and black berry. This is very good, even in the context. There is a 1945 in this flight, which is absolutely incredible, and in the '45 you can make out the blueprint and similarities of this '90. Great.
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Château Rayas Vertical Dinner (Rebelle): Big nose that has flashes of both maturity and youth, black cherry, and woody notes. Palate has open red and black fruit. Flamboyant framboise, raspberry, cherry, and cranberry.
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Really savory and awesome texture. Bright cherries, red fruits, strawberries, refined spices. Opulent and rich. Contender for WOTN in a huge Rayas tasting. A very elegant wine with hints of cedar and cooking spices.
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Rayas Rayas Rayas (Rebelle): This is probably the wine I was most excited about in the tasting and so it had some pretty high expectations, but it lived up. I have 'love' written in my notes with three underlines. So clearly a nice wine. Good mix again of barnyard and fruit. More raspberry. Very beautiful. I thought the '89 might have been a touch better, but really I am splitting hairs.
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Chateau Rayas Vertical Dinner (Rebelle, NY, NY): #12/17 - Can I just WOW!!!!! - this was damn delicious and such a treat to taste. The nose on this has some funky barnyard initially that blows off to reveal the lovely perfume. The palate is everything that makes wine a pleasure to drink for me - balance and complexity, integrated red fruits and earth, that herbal magic that Rayas does so well and a finish that just does not stop. The real deal!!
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This 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...
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Tabacco, dry herbs, rot (in a good way), soaring, heady red fruits v good acidity - v long and livery mouth feel. still going better after several hours decant. Still great - well done!
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Vertical of 1989, 1990 and 1995 Rayas. Brett and animal on the nose plus heavenly red fruit, sweet /candy notes and fresh herbs and mint. on the palate complex, slightly dry ending after a few hours decade. Fresh acidity and very focussed. there is no doubt this is a top wine. Impressive.
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Over 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.
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Chateau Rayas CDP 1990: Uncorked and left out for more than 24 hours.
YOU CANNOT BE SEE-RAYAS!!!!! I mean See-Rayasly speaking, that fleeting moment in the finish that makes you realise it's a Rayas cannot be put into words. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.....
Medium garnet with rusty hues. Dried dark cherry skins, wolfberry, and dried orange peels are recurring themes. Secondary spice notes of anise, cinnamon, and caraway, with undertones of old violet and potpourri. The elegance of a Rayas is most evident on the palate. A sweet core of dark cherries, a dense mouthfeel and super fine tannins that one will inadvertently forget to mention. A slight prickle of acidity keeps it fresh on the back end before that fleeting finish. Superlatives fail me.
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One of the weaker bottles of this that I have had, and from a case that has otherwise delivered higher scores. At different points in this bottle, it could have been anywhere from a 90-94 point wine. The expected fruit and spice notes were there but subdued and muted. But overall, lacked the precision and clarity of the best bottles. Almost as if there was the lightest touch of maderization.
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Chateauneuf du Pape (Bronte, Sydney): quite a pale red. Ripe red berries, violets, not much earth but just a little leather, quite an intense fragrance, beautiful. Lovely sweet fruit, almost cherry, plump and intense. Poised, superb length, not at all dominated by earthy characters, just nicely aged fruit. Special.
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I've scored this incredible wine 100 pts. before but this bottle, while in perfect condition, seemed a bit lighter and more alcoholic than I remember. Still, it was a fabulous wine with a lighter, bricking color and a gorgeous nose of cherry perfume and spices. On the palate, it is so open and ready with complex flavors of kirsch cherries along with tobacco, game and dried flowers. Lighter-bodied but with incredible complexity on the finish which shows incredible notes of exotic spices and red fruits and flowers. What a seductive, floral, heady drink!
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Ripe, 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.
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Drunk at the Mandarin Grill - this is the 3rd time I have had this wine and it has performed exceptionally well on each occasion. The wine was served blind and paired with Bonneau's '90 Marie Beurrier. All 3 of us initially guessed incorrectly, I think based on the relative weightiness of the Bonneau and the powerful nose. Both wines exhibited a wonderful sweetness on the palate which I imagine is characteristic of Grenache. As the evening wore on the Rayas continued to put on weight and in the end was the better of the two.
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The 1990 Rayas exhibits more characteristics of sur maturité than the 1989: more plummy fruit, joined by aromas of coffee and chocolate (present, but less pronounced, in the 1989). Texturally this is a more corpulent, unctuous wine, with a sweeter attack, without the same freshness and vividness as the 1989. Perhaps you could say that the 1989 stains the palate, whereas the 1990 saturates it. Those with cold cellars should note that the 1990, like the 1989, also has some tannin to shed and is still a very youthful, primary wine, that evolved in the glass over dinner.
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1.5hrs in decanter. not as spectacular nor exotic as previous bottle but still richer and more layered than 89. I'd do the reverse of 89 next time - less decant time.
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My MNSC (Seventh Son): uncorked a couple of hours earlier but not decanted. intoxicating bouquet with intense ripeness, stewed fruits and baked spices. might be too overpowering for some tastes but that's what rayas 90 is all about. mindblowing.
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At "Rarities" - What a fantastic treat when one of the world's greatest wines is drunk at its absolute peak from a perfect bottle. This is all about exotic, wild dark fruits (especially kirsch cherries) and spices and a silky richness that is mind-boggling. All this leads to one of the most complex finishes I've ever experienced in a wine. Simply extraordinary!
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over the years no other wine has brought me more drinking pleasure than the 90 Rayas. I'd only include the 89 La Mission and 90 Beausejour in the same category - they are wines i was lucky to buy a lot of young that consistently have been brilliant.
I haven't had a bottle in the past couple years and I know the wine is not at its apogee any longer so i was curious to see just where it's at. It is still excellent and suffers only by comparison to the stunning beauty that it once was.
Interestingly this wine got a lot better as I let it aerate. 30-60 minutes was not enough, early on it was showing a bit more backbone relative to the fruit than i would have expected. But after 1-2 hours it became very lush with the fruit continuing to build into a sexy finish that brought back memories. It is full of black cherry and earthy tobacco, but the real essence of this wine is the liqueur like texture that coats and caresses your palate.
This wine is no longer gravity defying but it still understands hedonism better than just about any wine I've ever come across.
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Acker BYO 2012 (Tribeca Grill, Tribeca, NY): Medium orange-red. Beautiful nose of roasted fruit, spice, spice, spice, and barnyard funk. Not as big as I was expected, which is nice -very balanced and even elegant. A touch of heat. Cherry fruit and strudel. Creamy on the palate and very spicy, plush, and plummy, roast meat and more spice. Again a touch of heat. Delicious and balanced. Nose - 5-5.5/6, Palate - 5.5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 17-17.5/20.
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Waited too long to drink this wine - brought this back from France in 1993. Very light in color. Tasted this with a smoked duck, rubbed with Asian 10 spice powder. The floral spices in this wine matched perfectly! Medium body, lots of interesting and complex flavors.
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Spicy 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.
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Big nose - high alcohol, fruity, very ripe. Deep sweet fruit underneath - almost crystalline. Very big palate - lots of heat. Not in balance - might have sat in glass for too long - smelled better when 1st poured, but I didn't get a taste right away. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 4/6, Finish - 4/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 14/20.
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This was awesome! Decanted for over 2 hours . . . and it took even al ittle more time to really open up to get the full value. When opened fully, I don't thint there has been a wine that has been better . . . perhaps only beaten by the 1963 Quinto do Noval port we had 20 years ago. What a treat. It was everything you expected and then some. If you can locate it, it's not cheap . . . probably over $1300 per bottle . . . and you have be careful from where you get it. I bought this in futures and maintanied it my celllar. Good luck!
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Rays at the Ledbury. Light reddish color, sweet dark fruit nose, this one was very lively in tHe mouth.the fruit wasnlight but solid, fresh and broad. The wine had a nice long finish, was very complete and still primary
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A major disappointment. Thin and without substance, see well last it's prime. Based on the reviews and collective opinion, I hope this was a bad bottle
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Pull out the stops 50th bday party at Troquet: One of my all-time favorite wines. A heavyweight that is light on its feet. (Floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee.) Full, full body somehow accompanied by finesses and ba.ance. I couldn't stop drinking it. Under the beautiful fruit there was a little salty/briny quality that is very uncommon but just added to the complexity. The only other wine similar to this in my experience is the Bonneau Celestins from the same year. Very good company for each of them. This was a real treat and I nursed it all evening.
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tied for wine of the night with the 90 jacques perrin at a tasting of top end chateuneufs from the 89 and 90 vintage. this was the last of 3 bottles that i had: the first two were corked. much to my surprise, this one was not. also surprising to me was the fact that this was not a massive brute of a wine but instead was medium bodied and quite elegant.
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Verticale du Château Rayas, en trois volets: Nez subtil, complexe, sur le kirsch avec une touche d’encens. Bouche d’une grande finesse, la fraicheur et l’équilibre sont superbes, la texture d’une grande subtilité. La finale montre une concentration et une longueur admirables. Il semble tout de même assez évolué mais a gardé sa fraicheur et un équilibre magique. Grand. Comme prévu, le vin de la journée, sans toutefois que cette bouteille soit l’exemple d’un vin parfait. 95-96 pts
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in contrast to the Célestins, this was a woman whose raw sexuality makes you just want to grab her and go at it immediately...or so says my friend. Sweet nose that was a little funky - but that's Rayas, isn't it? A little smoky with that familiar tropical fruit and lychee nose. Beautiful in its own right but somehow overshadowed by the Célestins tonight.
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Beautiful, soft, pure, aromatic, great texture and balance. Still very young and a bit tight, short on the palate. Definitely needs to be tucked away for awhile. The '88 was much more open.
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My all-time favorite wine. Not really a tasting note per se, as it has been 6 months or so since I last had it, but consumed more than a dozen times, with at least 2 corked and 1 cooked bottle. But when it's on, this is a mesmerizing wine, pure and delicate with incredible focus. Burgundian.
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Youngest showing ever for me with this wine. Crystal clear expression of kirsch and raspberry. Laser focused, but not heavy. Absolutely stunning and one of the best Chateauneuf's ever.
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Good ruby color with a fabulous nose of violets, flowers and garrigue. The flavors, in particular, the floral spices in this wine are just unimagineable with notes of violets, sweet flowers, spicy minerals and a strong flavor of Kirsch liquer. This bottle was almost syrup-like which according to others at dinner who had tasted this wine was a bit different than other recent tastings. Unique and delicious but maybe not the best bottle for some reason.
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Rayas redux (Our place): From an imperfect specimen, with an intact cork but evidence of leakage. Very tight initially, decanted to remove loads of sediment. Beautiful Rayas profile with sweet raspberry, pipe tobacco, and sandlewood, almost reminiscent of ruby port. Cashmere texture. Never seemed to fully open--compared with a bottle of the 1989, which was open and joyous, this bottle was much more restrained. Perhaps it was the bottle's condition, but this example was not a 100 point wine. To be able to have the 1989 and 1990 within the same year was quite a treat!
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Colorado High Country Part 1. Rayas Mini Vertical.: Flight 3 was the 90 Rayas and the 90 Pignan. The 90 Rayas was syrupy, stylish, and very pleasing. A very good wine, but I thought this bottle lacked the high impact that this wine is capable of.
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Hanging out with Marc Lazar; 3/16/2006-3/18/2006 (Seattle, WA): This was simply unreal. I had my first taste of this elixir last month in LA, but this bottle was far, far better. Also, obviously, a taste from a bottle shared with 12 people is going to have a hard time comparing to a bottle shared by two people over the course of 2-3 hours. When first opened I was a little worried, as there were some slightly oxidized notes on the nose. However, this quickly exploded and was alwasy changing rapidly in the glass. Loads of blood, kirsch, licorice and white pepper just pour out of the glass. The palate is a blanket of magical Grenache, crazily ripe yet graceful and elegant at the same time, not an overtly huge wine yet the sort that blankets your palate and fills every pore of your soul. Vibrant, ripe, a bowl of cherries and plums with some ox-blood and pepper tossed in, and then coated in Herbes de Provence. Nice notes of graphite and smoke creep in as well, lots of complexity that is very hard to describe. In fact, I feel awkward trying to describe such an elegant and graceful wine that pretty much defines perfection. But I'll hold a point back knowing that at least a month ago the 1989 Rayas was just that much better.
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Legends of Châteauneuf-du-Pape with Leve (Los Angeles, CA): Showed up by the 1989, but again this was about the purest and most elegant Grenache I have ever tasted. More round and sexy than the 1989 but less complex and vibrant as well.
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Blazingly good and a real treat Greg brought to China Grill. I had been completely confident this was a grand cru Burgundy if I could not see the label, probably a DRC Romanee-St.-Vivant from a mature vintage. The color, bouquet and palate were perfectly consistent - intense bright red cherry with a touch of vanilla as a topnote. Not at all a heavyweight, but amazingly intense and impresses with its purity and elegance. Not a hint of earth or herb, this is a masterpiece of fruit. More complex that I can describe, it's impossible to resist.
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Nose of white truffle, smoke, sweet cherries. palate was lush and dainty, strawberries and rhubarb blended with lavender, thyme, and a late surge of basil. Nice finish. This wine was extremely evolved and was drinking fantastic. Very much in a grand cru burg style. A real treat.
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This is an interesting and comples wine. We tasted with the Pignan from the same vintage. for the first hour and a half, the Pignan was actually more appealing. After this time, the Rayas began to come into its own. It had wonderful varied spice from the beginning. After this the floral qualities merged with great complexity of fruit and a background of earth. This is truly a wine that makes all of our efforts worthwhile.
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Opened but not decanted 90 minutes prior to pouring. Surprisingly pale, Pinot shade but no brown. Nose dominated by portiness and prunes rather than the more typical framboise. To my surprise, though, the red fruit character of Rayas showed up on the palate, in contrast to the nose. Incredible sweetness of fruit, wonderful roundness with little tannin but enough acidity to hold it together, very long finish. By itself, I would have described it as a big wine, but next to the Centennaires, it really felt lighter, more elegant, and somewhat Burgundian. Magnificent if perhaps ever so slightly beyond its peak, since other bottles have been fresher and more explosive aromatically.
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Rhone Wine Blind Tasting (Virginia): I've had this wine only once before, in July of '99 (unbelievable wine)... Today: geez, it's a crazy wine - quite volatile, actually - with notes of fresh ginger and red fruit (strawberry). High-pitched; very light in color - and a bit cloudy. The person who opened it could comment on its evolution since he purchased and has consumed six bottles: he stated that this was a consistent showing for this wine, adding that it was in its prime about four or five years ago... which was when I last had it - and I loved it atthe time! He also added that this was bought grey market from a DC retailer years ago. Hmmmm. I know my first bottle went through the normal importation / distribution channels. I wonder how the two would have shown side by side...
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Decanted for an hour. Early bricking but still deep red-purple appearance. Nose of black cherry with a hint of smoked bacon-meat. Great mouthfeel with anise, strawberry (Twizzler), pomegranite, black cherry and GOBS of glycerin. Well integrated with no sharp edges and little tannin. Still "on the rise" with a lot of life left in it. "Sings with the lamb". One to remember for a long time.
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Dinner w/ Penny @ The Place (NYC): Very intense wine. Assaults the palate with waves of red fruits, spice and tannins. Needs more time in order to tame the structure. Wow!
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2/2/2024 - burlingtonm Likes this wine: 93 Points
A good but not great Rayas and clearly this bottle did not show this wine at its best with some oxidization on the nose. It did get much better over the course of the evening with some sweetness with hints of raspberries & the ethereal quality that I was hoping to find in this wine.
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12/1/2023 - Vini Ciclismo Likes this wine: 97 Points
Light to medium depth colour. No brick.
Beautiful floral red berry and spice fragrance.
Silky, refined structure. Perfect tannins, excellent acidity. Youthful red berries, darker spice, lifted tones, gorgeous drinking. Ageless.
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11/30/2023 - Vini Ciclismo Likes this wine: 98 Points
Lighter than the 78, vosne-like.
Perfect fragrance, sweet, very perfumed, berries and cherry stone zest.
Refined structure, silky, Burgundian, delicious. Plums, red berries, strawberries, ripe but old, no earth, superb.
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11/24/2023 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 95 Points
Bottle towards the darker fruit and earthier end of the spectrum. Great depth.
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10/22/2023 - JRockEsq Likes this wine: 96 Points
Method: pop and pour; cellar temp; Cab glass; pretty sure this bottle was acquired on release and professionally stored since and seemed to be in perfect condition
Nose: menthol, light soil, light raspberry, light mushroom, tree bark; very expressive
Palate: raspberry coulis, tree bark; long finish of raspberry, minerals, graphite, tree bark, mint; dry; medium- body; medium- fine tannin; medium+ bright acidity
Overall: Wow, this is the full package. Complex, elegant yet concentrated and expressive, and vibrant. It actually benefitted from air as the rasberry fruit filled out and became more intense after maybe 45 minutes or so. I only has maybe 1/2 glass over an our, and I wouldn't be surprised if the wine would've continued to improve beyond that point. Excellent wine.
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9/24/2023 - Dave Canada wrote: 100 Points
Absolutely perfect bottle...
Such density of fruit, spice, savoury elements and florals but with such lift, balance and length. Perfection.
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4/30/2023 - llink wrote: 97 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Ruby red with an amber rim. Slightly mature nose, raspberry, licorice and vanilla aromas. Firm palate, still very fresh with lively muted fruit notes of raspberry and cherry and lots of spicy complexity. The fruit really dances on your palate, showing excellent balance and complexity with an extra dimension that results in a truly transcendent wine experience. Such a fun wine to experience.
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1/19/2023 - BradE wrote:
A Quartet of Rayas: Also a great bottle, and showed an attractive maturity that I really liked. Ranked by all four of us as a very close third to the 1989 in our quartet (1978,1989,1990,2005).
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12/26/2022 - dnnk88 Likes this wine: 99 Points
Boom! WOTN and one of the best this year. Strawberries and flower garden
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12/26/2022 - Andice wrote: 99 Points
WOTN. WOTY. Sublime and complex interplay of primary red berries with fleeting truffle notes from age. Masterful
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8/31/2022 - Bobby Burgundy Likes this wine: 99 Points
Loved it! Bottle was in pristine condition.
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12/2/2021 - kr522 wrote: 98 Points
Really fun to drink, from a case I bought 25 years ago, I have not had this wine in almost a decade. Not the exuberant pup it once was, and yet it maintains that incredible sex appeal. This became even more evident when we poured a great 90 Cheval Blanc in the next glass, and we could appreciate just how wonderfully slutty the dark cherry, earth and licorice was in this beauty. Singular
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10/18/2021 - talbot61 Likes this wine: 97 Points
This is definitely an old wine: The cork was protruding from the bottle. The color is brown all the way through. There are no remaining tannins, and there is some of the plum pudding aroma that is suggestive of vintage port. But, boy, oh boy, this is a delicious wine. It's almost transparent, and light but intense. It has a complex set of flavors, starting with cherry, and then proceeding through a variety of spices -- clove and nutmeg and others. It has a sweetness and a smoothness that creates a sensation of weight, but the overall sense is of something delicate and ethereal. The idea that this is accomplished with Grenache is staggering. A complete treat.
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8/13/2021 - Tony Ling Likes this wine: 96 Points
PNP in Zalto Bordeaux glass (“Root” day): Pale garnet and bright colours.
Red prunes and wild red berries at its most regal, intense and complex manner here. Earthy florals, herbal and herbaceous notes in the best way possible. Ultra detailed spices like star anises, assortment of white spices and hints of dried rose petals too.
Again incredibly gentle on texture yet what a great follow through on the nose. Mind boggling amount of minerality and fine boned acidity here. Super intense and concentrated without any weight indeed. Superbly rich and incredible length.
Ingenious combo of spice box of the best of Rhone/Bordeaux and the elegance of the top Bourgogne. 96 points to me and what an incredible experience…!
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5/12/2021 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 97 Points
Very ripe with a unique flavor profile. Quite a different experience from drinking younger Rayas, this lacks some of the freshness by comparison but replaces that with gobs of complexity and weight. Drank side-by-side with a 90' Chave Hermitage, and between the two I'd have to pick the Chave by a hair, but of course very different wines. In all honesty, I've preferred many of the younger vintages of Rayas I've tried -- e.g., 06' and 08' specifically.
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3/26/2021 - cos65 Likes this wine: 99 Points
Crystal clear with a fair amount of sediment. (Stood upright for a week+)
Haunting aromatic Pungent electric cherry candy nose (like sticking your tongue on a 9V battery)
Unctuous sweet grenache fruit. Totally seamless, really quite remarkable. Worthy of a sincere effort. Quite possibly the most complete red I have ever enjoyed.
While this does not appear in decline, I wouldn’t hesitate to enjoy this now. The most perfect wine I have ever had
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12/27/2020 - smctipton Likes this wine: 99 Points
Tasted by invite from Montesquieu (thank you!), and agree with that assessment. I rated slightly higher in appreciation of the silky-sweet, pure fruit remaining on air and palate. Echoes of old Barolo. A real treat to discover and enjoy this legendary wine's lovely endpoint.
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12/27/2020 - Montesquieu Likes this wine: 96 Points
Incredibly grateful for the opportunity to share this wine, thanks to a generous gift with firm instructions to "drink this bottle this holiday season". Caveat my score with the knowledge that this bottle still suffered from the shock of shipment and, unwisely, wasn't filtered by us. We poured straight from the bottle, gave pourings much-needed time to aerate in glass, and enjoyed over 2.5 hours. My three friends were more generous in their scores of 100, 99, and 98. I think it's past its peak and would encourage holders to open and enjoy; it may have years or even decades to go, but I don't think its future will beat its past.
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6/18/2020 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opulent but enough knitting to hold it together. Fine acids, dark red fruit, spice nose, and varied soil tones. Very good bottle.
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2/10/2020 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
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.
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10/23/2019 - LW31 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Magnum. This is simple stunning. Deep red berries, spice, just a hint of barnyard, enlivening acidity keeps it fresh. Perfect balance. Very long finish, resonates for 30 seconds. In this format has years ahead.
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10/18/2019 - hprphf wrote: 95 Points
Acker 2019/10 (Bouley): Very smoky, but very balanced with incredible depth and just the lightest touch of pinching spice. Great indeed. 95
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5/24/2019 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 95 Points
Finally another great bottle. Good energetic acids, ripe red fruit and abundant sweet spice. Very nice.
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8/10/2018 - d'Artagnan wrote: 95 Points
1er souper à Hilltop (Lac Memphrémagog): Nez très discret cave humide, sous-bois, champignons. Il n’a plus le légendaire nez du domaine, mais c’est fort agréable. Bouche délicate, d’une grande finesse, encore un peu sucrée, pas le plus expansif, mais sans doute le plus fin. À boire sans trop tarder, certes, mais c’est encore magnifique, quoique sans doute pas aussi grand qu’il y a 10 ans. 94-95 pts
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6/9/2018 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 95 Points
World's Greatest, Hong Kong - Night III (8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana, Macau): Whereas the ‘89 is overripe and woody this has fresh and pretty florals over red and black fruit. Dark teas but not tired. Ripe and delicious red and black berry. This is very good, even in the context. There is a 1945 in this flight, which is absolutely incredible, and in the '45 you can make out the blueprint and similarities of this '90. Great.
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11/22/2017 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 93 Points
From magnum. Ripe cherry with subdued soil tones. Some spice emerged on the nose with air time but this bottle never fully opened. 93-94
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10/13/2017 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 93 Points
Château Rayas Vertical Dinner (Rebelle): Big nose that has flashes of both maturity and youth, black cherry, and woody notes. Palate has open red and black fruit. Flamboyant framboise, raspberry, cherry, and cranberry.
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10/13/2017 - Kemo Sabe Likes this wine: 95 Points
Really savory and awesome texture. Bright cherries, red fruits, strawberries, refined spices. Opulent and rich. Contender for WOTN in a huge Rayas tasting. A very elegant wine with hints of cedar and cooking spices.
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10/12/2017 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Rayas Rayas Rayas (Rebelle): This is probably the wine I was most excited about in the tasting and so it had some pretty high expectations, but it lived up. I have 'love' written in my notes with three underlines. So clearly a nice wine. Good mix again of barnyard and fruit. More raspberry. Very beautiful. I thought the '89 might have been a touch better, but really I am splitting hairs.
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10/12/2017 - retired_and_roving wrote:
Chateau Rayas Vertical Dinner (Rebelle, NY, NY): #12/17 - Can I just WOW!!!!! - this was damn delicious and such a treat to taste. The nose on this has some funky barnyard initially that blows off to reveal the lovely perfume. The palate is everything that makes wine a pleasure to drink for me - balance and complexity, integrated red fruits and earth, that herbal magic that Rayas does so well and a finish that just does not stop. The real deal!!
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9/7/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 100 Points
This 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...
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3/11/2017 - Butty wrote: 97 Points
Tabacco, dry herbs, rot (in a good way), soaring, heady red fruits v good acidity - v long and livery mouth feel. still going better after several hours decant. Still great - well done!
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3/11/2017 - Butty wrote: 95 Points
Vertical of 1989, 1990 and 1995 Rayas. Brett and animal on the nose plus heavenly red fruit, sweet /candy notes and fresh herbs and mint. on the palate complex, slightly dry ending after a few hours decade. Fresh acidity and very focussed. there is no doubt this is a top wine. Impressive.
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5/2/2016 - tinybubbles wrote: flawed
Likely slight maderization. Rounded, bitter on edges, but the dried red cherries still came through
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12/3/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
Over 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.
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11/16/2015 - Vinedict wrote:
Chateau Rayas CDP 1990: Uncorked and left out for more than 24 hours.
YOU CANNOT BE SEE-RAYAS!!!!! I mean See-Rayasly speaking, that fleeting moment in the finish that makes you realise it's a Rayas cannot be put into words. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.....
Medium garnet with rusty hues. Dried dark cherry skins, wolfberry, and dried orange peels are recurring themes. Secondary spice notes of anise, cinnamon, and caraway, with undertones of old violet and potpourri. The elegance of a Rayas is most evident on the palate. A sweet core of dark cherries, a dense mouthfeel and super fine tannins that one will inadvertently forget to mention. A slight prickle of acidity keeps it fresh on the back end before that fleeting finish. Superlatives fail me.
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11/11/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 92 Points
One of the weaker bottles of this that I have had, and from a case that has otherwise delivered higher scores. At different points in this bottle, it could have been anywhere from a 90-94 point wine. The expected fruit and spice notes were there but subdued and muted. But overall, lacked the precision and clarity of the best bottles. Almost as if there was the lightest touch of maderization.
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7/24/2015 - Vini Ciclismo Likes this wine: 95 Points
Chateauneuf du Pape (Bronte, Sydney): quite a pale red. Ripe red berries, violets, not much earth but just a little leather, quite an intense fragrance, beautiful. Lovely sweet fruit, almost cherry, plump and intense. Poised, superb length, not at all dominated by earthy characters, just nicely aged fruit. Special.
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9/5/2014 - dream Likes this wine: 97 Points
I've scored this incredible wine 100 pts. before but this bottle, while in perfect condition, seemed a bit lighter and more alcoholic than I remember. Still, it was a fabulous wine with a lighter, bricking color and a gorgeous nose of cherry perfume and spices. On the palate, it is so open and ready with complex flavors of kirsch cherries along with tobacco, game and dried flowers. Lighter-bodied but with incredible complexity on the finish which shows incredible notes of exotic spices and red fruits and flowers. What a seductive, floral, heady drink!
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8/21/2014 - BradE wrote:
A decent bottle, but lacked the impact that this wine/vintage is capable of.
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8/18/2014 - Jeff Leve wrote: 100 Points
Ripe, 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.
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8/14/2014 - KoalaHK wrote:
Drunk at the Mandarin Grill - this is the 3rd time I have had this wine and it has performed exceptionally well on each occasion. The wine was served blind and paired with Bonneau's '90 Marie Beurrier. All 3 of us initially guessed incorrectly, I think based on the relative weightiness of the Bonneau and the powerful nose. Both wines exhibited a wonderful sweetness on the palate which I imagine is characteristic of Grenache. As the evening wore on the Rayas continued to put on weight and in the end was the better of the two.
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5/25/2014 - William Kelley Likes this wine: 97 Points
The 1990 Rayas exhibits more characteristics of sur maturité than the 1989: more plummy fruit, joined by aromas of coffee and chocolate (present, but less pronounced, in the 1989). Texturally this is a more corpulent, unctuous wine, with a sweeter attack, without the same freshness and vividness as the 1989. Perhaps you could say that the 1989 stains the palate, whereas the 1990 saturates it. Those with cold cellars should note that the 1990, like the 1989, also has some tannin to shed and is still a very youthful, primary wine, that evolved in the glass over dinner.
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5/15/2014 - Lord Rayas wrote: 97 Points
1.5hrs in decanter. not as spectacular nor exotic as previous bottle but still richer and more layered than 89. I'd do the reverse of 89 next time - less decant time.
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4/19/2014 - jhngo Likes this wine: 96 Points
Took one day to come around. Majorly concentrated a bit drying but a beautiful wine.
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11/24/2013 - Lord Rayas wrote: 99 Points
My MNSC (Seventh Son): uncorked a couple of hours earlier but not decanted. intoxicating bouquet with intense ripeness, stewed fruits and baked spices. might be too overpowering for some tastes but that's what rayas 90 is all about. mindblowing.
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5/2/2013 - dream Likes this wine: 100 Points
At "Rarities" - What a fantastic treat when one of the world's greatest wines is drunk at its absolute peak from a perfect bottle. This is all about exotic, wild dark fruits (especially kirsch cherries) and spices and a silky richness that is mind-boggling. All this leads to one of the most complex finishes I've ever experienced in a wine. Simply extraordinary!
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12/28/2012 - kr522 wrote: 97 Points
over the years no other wine has brought me more drinking pleasure than the 90 Rayas. I'd only include the 89 La Mission and 90 Beausejour in the same category - they are wines i was lucky to buy a lot of young that consistently have been brilliant.
I haven't had a bottle in the past couple years and I know the wine is not at its apogee any longer so i was curious to see just where it's at. It is still excellent and suffers only by comparison to the stunning beauty that it once was.
Interestingly this wine got a lot better as I let it aerate. 30-60 minutes was not enough, early on it was showing a bit more backbone relative to the fruit than i would have expected. But after 1-2 hours it became very lush with the fruit continuing to build into a sexy finish that brought back memories. It is full of black cherry and earthy tobacco, but the real essence of this wine is the liqueur like texture that coats and caresses your palate.
This wine is no longer gravity defying but it still understands hedonism better than just about any wine I've ever come across.
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12/3/2012 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine: 94 Points
Acker BYO 2012 (Tribeca Grill, Tribeca, NY): Medium orange-red. Beautiful nose of roasted fruit, spice, spice, spice, and barnyard funk. Not as big as I was expected, which is nice -very balanced and even elegant. A touch of heat. Cherry fruit and strudel. Creamy on the palate and very spicy, plush, and plummy, roast meat and more spice. Again a touch of heat. Delicious and balanced. Nose - 5-5.5/6, Palate - 5.5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 17-17.5/20.
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11/19/2012 - Mitch wrote: 99 Points
Awesome!
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8/4/2012 - rgrosz6 wrote: 93 Points
Waited too long to drink this wine - brought this back from France in 1993. Very light in color. Tasted this with a smoked duck, rubbed with Asian 10 spice powder. The floral spices in this wine matched perfectly! Medium body, lots of interesting and complex flavors.
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5/26/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
Spicy 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.
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9/15/2011 - Seth Rosenberg wrote: 88 Points
Big nose - high alcohol, fruity, very ripe. Deep sweet fruit underneath - almost crystalline. Very big palate - lots of heat. Not in balance - might have sat in glass for too long - smelled better when 1st poured, but I didn't get a taste right away. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 4/6, Finish - 4/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 14/20.
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9/10/2011 - de14 wrote: 99 Points
This was awesome! Decanted for over 2 hours . . . and it took even al ittle more time to really open up to get the full value. When opened fully, I don't thint there has been a wine that has been better . . . perhaps only beaten by the 1963 Quinto do Noval port we had 20 years ago. What a treat. It was everything you expected and then some. If you can locate it, it's not cheap . . . probably over $1300 per bottle . . . and you have be careful from where you get it. I bought this in futures and maintanied it my celllar. Good luck!
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8/5/2011 - reichken wrote: 95 Points
Rays at the Ledbury. Light reddish color, sweet dark fruit nose, this one was very lively in tHe mouth.the fruit wasnlight but solid, fresh and broad. The wine had a nice long finish, was very complete and still primary
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7/26/2011 - Dickdoc49 wrote: 87 Points
A major disappointment. Thin and without substance, see well last it's prime. Based on the reviews and collective opinion, I hope this was a bad bottle
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7/16/2011 - Topper wrote: 98 Points
Pull out the stops 50th bday party at Troquet: One of my all-time favorite wines. A heavyweight that is light on its feet. (Floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee.) Full, full body somehow accompanied by finesses and ba.ance. I couldn't stop drinking it. Under the beautiful fruit there was a little salty/briny quality that is very uncommon but just added to the complexity. The only other wine similar to this in my experience is the Bonneau Celestins from the same year. Very good company for each of them. This was a real treat and I nursed it all evening.
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1/24/2011 - IAMVLAD wrote: 98 Points
tied for wine of the night with the 90 jacques perrin at a tasting of top end chateuneufs from the 89 and 90 vintage. this was the last of 3 bottles that i had: the first two were corked. much to my surprise, this one was not. also surprising to me was the fact that this was not a massive brute of a wine but instead was medium bodied and quite elegant.
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12/12/2010 - mwanasheria wrote: 99 Points
A pristine bottle. Cherries, licorice, plums, still not heavy. An amazing wine.
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10/5/2010 - IAMVLAD wrote: flawed
CORKED. THAT'S NOW 2 FOR 2.
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7/31/2010 - d'Artagnan wrote: 96 Points
Verticale du Château Rayas, en trois volets: Nez subtil, complexe, sur le kirsch avec une touche d’encens. Bouche d’une grande finesse, la fraicheur et l’équilibre sont superbes, la texture d’une grande subtilité. La finale montre une concentration et une longueur admirables. Il semble tout de même assez évolué mais a gardé sa fraicheur et un équilibre magique. Grand. Comme prévu, le vin de la journée, sans toutefois que cette bouteille soit l’exemple d’un vin parfait. 95-96 pts
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5/15/2010 - Milhous wrote: flawed
Corked! Last bottle. Thank Goodness x5 that my buddy had a backup. Heartbreaking. One of the all time greats.
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1/25/2010 - Peech wrote: 96 Points
in contrast to the Célestins, this was a woman whose raw sexuality makes you just want to grab her and go at it immediately...or so says my friend. Sweet nose that was a little funky - but that's Rayas, isn't it? A little smoky with that familiar tropical fruit and lychee nose. Beautiful in its own right but somehow overshadowed by the Célestins tonight.
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11/1/2009 - Samantha wrote: 97 Points
Beautiful, soft, pure, aromatic, great texture and balance. Still very young and a bit tight, short on the palate. Definitely needs to be tucked away for awhile. The '88 was much more open.
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9/19/2009 - Jossik wrote: 91 Points
Monocorde sulla frutta, pulito e preciso ma per me troppo, da un Rodano voglio altro
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5/15/2009 - Chuck Miller wrote: 100 Points
My all-time favorite wine. Not really a tasting note per se, as it has been 6 months or so since I last had it, but consumed more than a dozen times, with at least 2 corked and 1 cooked bottle. But when it's on, this is a mesmerizing wine, pure and delicate with incredible focus. Burgundian.
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2/11/2009 - Marc wrote: 95 Points
Huge ripe long. Leather and Cherry. A wonderful wine with years ahead of it based on this bottle.
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3/20/2008 - Milhous wrote: 100 Points
Youngest showing ever for me with this wine. Crystal clear expression of kirsch and raspberry. Laser focused, but not heavy. Absolutely stunning and one of the best Chateauneuf's ever.
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3/7/2008 - dream wrote: 93 Points
Good ruby color with a fabulous nose of violets, flowers and garrigue. The flavors, in particular, the floral spices in this wine are just unimagineable with notes of violets, sweet flowers, spicy minerals and a strong flavor of Kirsch liquer. This bottle was almost syrup-like which according to others at dinner who had tasted this wine was a bit different than other recent tastings. Unique and delicious but maybe not the best bottle for some reason.
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8/12/2007 - bknysak wrote: 95 Points
Rayas redux (Our place): From an imperfect specimen, with an intact cork but evidence of leakage. Very tight initially, decanted to remove loads of sediment. Beautiful Rayas profile with sweet raspberry, pipe tobacco, and sandlewood, almost reminiscent of ruby port. Cashmere texture. Never seemed to fully open--compared with a bottle of the 1989, which was open and joyous, this bottle was much more restrained. Perhaps it was the bottle's condition, but this example was not a 100 point wine. To be able to have the 1989 and 1990 within the same year was quite a treat!
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6/9/2006 - BradE wrote:
Colorado High Country Part 1. Rayas Mini Vertical.: Flight 3 was the 90 Rayas and the 90 Pignan. The 90 Rayas was syrupy, stylish, and very pleasing. A very good wine, but I thought this bottle lacked the high impact that this wine is capable of.
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3/16/2006 - Eric wrote: 99 Points
Hanging out with Marc Lazar; 3/16/2006-3/18/2006 (Seattle, WA): This was simply unreal. I had my first taste of this elixir last month in LA, but this bottle was far, far better. Also, obviously, a taste from a bottle shared with 12 people is going to have a hard time comparing to a bottle shared by two people over the course of 2-3 hours. When first opened I was a little worried, as there were some slightly oxidized notes on the nose. However, this quickly exploded and was alwasy changing rapidly in the glass. Loads of blood, kirsch, licorice and white pepper just pour out of the glass. The palate is a blanket of magical Grenache, crazily ripe yet graceful and elegant at the same time, not an overtly huge wine yet the sort that blankets your palate and fills every pore of your soul. Vibrant, ripe, a bowl of cherries and plums with some ox-blood and pepper tossed in, and then coated in Herbes de Provence. Nice notes of graphite and smoke creep in as well, lots of complexity that is very hard to describe. In fact, I feel awkward trying to describe such an elegant and graceful wine that pretty much defines perfection. But I'll hold a point back knowing that at least a month ago the 1989 Rayas was just that much better.
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2/23/2006 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
Very lush with sexy ripe fruit. This reminded me of liquefied, spicy cherries
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2/18/2006 - Eric wrote:
Legends of Châteauneuf-du-Pape with Leve (Los Angeles, CA): Showed up by the 1989, but again this was about the purest and most elegant Grenache I have ever tasted. More round and sexy than the 1989 but less complex and vibrant as well.
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12/29/2005 - sdr wrote: 96 Points
Blazingly good and a real treat Greg brought to China Grill. I had been completely confident this was a grand cru Burgundy if I could not see the label, probably a DRC Romanee-St.-Vivant from a mature vintage. The color, bouquet and palate were perfectly consistent - intense bright red cherry with a touch of vanilla as a topnote. Not at all a heavyweight, but amazingly intense and impresses with its purity and elegance. Not a hint of earth or herb, this is a masterpiece of fruit. More complex that I can describe, it's impossible to resist.
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6/6/2005 - Koods wrote:
Nose of white truffle, smoke, sweet cherries. palate was lush and dainty, strawberries and rhubarb blended with lavender, thyme, and a late surge of basil. Nice finish. This wine was extremely evolved and was drinking fantastic. Very much in a grand cru burg style. A real treat.
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2/13/2005 - mvick wrote:
This is an interesting and comples wine. We tasted with the Pignan from the same vintage. for the first hour and a half, the Pignan was actually more appealing. After this time, the Rayas began to come into its own. It had wonderful varied spice from the beginning. After this the floral qualities merged with great complexity of fruit and a background of earth. This is truly a wine that makes all of our efforts worthwhile.
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1/1/2005 - drwine2001 wrote:
Opened but not decanted 90 minutes prior to pouring. Surprisingly pale, Pinot shade but no brown. Nose dominated by portiness and prunes rather than the more typical framboise. To my surprise, though, the red fruit character of Rayas showed up on the palate, in contrast to the nose. Incredible sweetness of fruit, wonderful roundness with little tannin but enough acidity to hold it together, very long finish. By itself, I would have described it as a big wine, but next to the Centennaires, it really felt lighter, more elegant, and somewhat Burgundian. Magnificent if perhaps ever so slightly beyond its peak, since other bottles have been fresher and more explosive aromatically.
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8/22/2004 - Ben Andersen wrote:
Rhone Wine Blind Tasting (Virginia): I've had this wine only once before, in July of '99 (unbelievable wine)... Today: geez, it's a crazy wine - quite volatile, actually - with notes of fresh ginger and red fruit (strawberry). High-pitched; very light in color - and a bit cloudy. The person who opened it could comment on its evolution since he purchased and has consumed six bottles: he stated that this was a consistent showing for this wine, adding that it was in its prime about four or five years ago... which was when I last had it - and I loved it atthe time! He also added that this was bought grey market from a DC retailer years ago. Hmmmm. I know my first bottle went through the normal importation / distribution channels. I wonder how the two would have shown side by side...
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9/14/2001 - JeffGMorris wrote:
Decanted for an hour. Early bricking but still deep red-purple appearance. Nose of black cherry with a hint of smoked bacon-meat. Great mouthfeel with anise, strawberry (Twizzler), pomegranite, black cherry and GOBS of glycerin. Well integrated with no sharp edges and little tannin. Still "on the rise" with a lot of life left in it. "Sings with the lamb". One to remember for a long time.
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4/14/2000 - mdefreitas wrote: 97 Points
Dinner w/ Penny @ The Place (NYC): Very intense wine. Assaults the palate with waves of red fruits, spice and tannins. Needs more time in order to tame the structure. Wow!
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