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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 93 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 9 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by acyso on 11/10/2022 flawed bottle: "The mind is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Chicago, IL): Probably not a correct showing of this wine, given the slight oxidative elements on the palate here. Surprisingly fruity despite those oxidative qualities; probably drinkable if you really tried, there just wasn't much of a point to that tonight. (1616 views) | | | Tasted by Wine Canuck on 9/30/2022 & rated 95 points: From a bottle with a very high fill in clearly good condition. This pours medium ruby in the glass with flecks of purple and very light bricking. The nose is immediately expressive, and opens further over the course of the following hour. Refined aromas of dried blueberry, cassis, black pepper, spice, dry dusty soil, leather, animal fur, and faint tobacco waft from the glass. The palate features lovely balance with lush dried blueberry on entry, turning to medium minus tannin and medium acid. The finish is perhaps the best part of this wine popping with whips of spice, pepper, and leather. All in all this was just as high quality as I had expected it to be. The aromatics might be just a touch less expressive than I had hoped, but the overall sense of polish and refinement is impressive and the finish just glorious. Brilliant bottle of Syrah, drinking in a great spot. If anything perhaps on the front side of its development curve with decades of continued great drinking ahead. (1322 views) | | | Tasted by CamWheeler on 8/21/2015 & rated 93 points: Rayas and friends: Rich nose - ink, plum, spice, graphite and violets with some charcoal as well. The palate shows good grip from tannins, which works with the still youthful fruit and fine acidity. In a really nice spot for drinking now. (3720 views) | | | Tasted by William Kelley on 7/12/2015 & rated 94 points: The 1994 Fonsalette Syrah is a glorious example of Southern France's greatest expression of this grape. The expressive nose bursts from the glass with waves of sweet cassis, roasted squab, woodsmoke, mocha and subtle saddle leather. On the palate the wine is deep, broad and rich, with layers of juicy, sauvage fruit. Not for the faint-hearted, but terrific stuff. (4814 views) | | | Tasted by d'Artagnan on 3/8/2012 & rated 92 points: Joli nez de framboises, floral. La bouche est dense, d'une belle tension, un peu acidulée, c'est un vin puissant et frais, de corps moyen, la finale est un peu rustique et demande à s'affiner. C'est un vin d'une jeunesse incroyable, qui ne semble pas encore à maturité même s'il se boit très bien, on dirait un vin de 4 ou 5 ans!! 92+ pts (4776 views) | | | Tasted by la turque on 2/11/2006 & rated 95 points: Gorgeous, with an almost black colour, lovely aroma of smoke and black fruits, and thick and sweet in the mouth, with balancing tannins and acidity. An incredible mouthful of wine. (5423 views) | | | Tasted by chefee1 on 12/31/2005 & rated 94 points: Deep, opaque ruby color with a little bricking at the rim. Big, gamey, smokey syrah nose with cooked plum, tobacco and spice notes. Huge wine in the mouth with lots of spice, roasted black fruit and aged meat flavors and HUGE ripe tannins. This is still a baby and the purity of expression is incredible. Finish is tannic but has great fruit persistence. Don't go near this for another 5 years.. (4831 views) |
| Château Rayas Producer website - Read more about Chateau Rayas
Robert Parker "Vine of the Rhône Valley"
"No one would suspect that inside the drab, unpainted building that houses Château Rayas (sitting unmarked at the end of a deteriorating dirt road in the appellation of Châteauneuf du Pape) are some of the world’s most distinctive wines.
The credit goes to Jacques Reynaud and his late father, Louis, who passed away in 1978. Jacques Reynaud (he reminds me of a cross between Dr. Seuss’s Grinch and Yoda from the Star Wars trilogy) is the brilliant, unassuming genius behind these wines, which are made from low yields from some of the oldest vines in the southern Rhône Valley. Reynaud is assisted by his sister, Françoise, who is cut from the same eccentric mold as her brother.
Château Rayas is the antithesis of modern-day winemaking. No stainless steel, no temperature controls, no new oak, and no oenologists are to be found in the Rayas cellar, which contains a hodgepodge of barrels, demi-muids, and foudres. The stories I could tell about Jacques Reynaud could fill a book, but behind his decidedly antifame, anti-twentieth century facade is an extremely well-read gentleman with exceptional knowledge and a love of many things, including fine food, as I discovered over several meals with him at the nearby La Beaugravière.
Getting precise information on what goes on at Château Rayas is not an easy task. Despite having visited and tasted with Reynaud more than a dozen times during the last decade, I still have not figured out what magic takes place in these cellars. Given the extraordinary quality that emerges in the finest years, I can live without the answers. We have gotten to know each other reasonably well, and I will convey a few stones to give readers a glimpse of Reynaud’s impish character. Early in my tasting experience with him, I became irritated after tasting through four different barrels without Reynaud’s saying one word about what was in each barrel.
Finally, I asked what we were tasting. His response was, “You’re the expert. You tell me.” Another example of his sense of humor emerged over dinner at La Beaugravière while we were sharing a magnificent bottle of Chave Hermitage. I asked him whom he admired the most. His deadly serious response was, “You.”
Syrah Varietal article (Wikipedia) | (Wines Northwest)
Note that some producers in the Northern Rhone distinguish between simply Syrah and "Serine", the latter described as ‘an ancient clone of Syrah, the berries of which are more oval-shaped and less deeply pigmented than Syrah’ by producer Tardieu-Laurent. France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comRhône Guide to the wines, wineries and appellations in the Rhone Valley The Rhône Valley/Le Vins de la Vallée du Rhône (Comité Interprofession des vins AOC Côtes et vallée du Rhône)
### Wine Scholar Guild's Rhône valley vintage charts & ratings ###Southern Rhône Guide to the wines, wineries and appellations in the Southern Rhone Valley
Côtes du Rhône Côtes du Rhône (Wikipedia) |
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