Grenache with Panache
New York, NY
Tasted December 1, 2017 by retired_and_roving with 328 views
Introduction
The idea originally started as having a Chateau Rayas wine dinner, but upon further consideration expanded to include other top Grenache producers. I hosted the dinner and brought in a private chef to prepare a five course feast with which to pair the wines. It was a really great evening with amazing wines, delicious food and good friends. A terrific way to kick off the 2017 holiday season.
The menu was as follows:
First Course
peconic bay scallops with herbs, white beans, tomatoes, truffle butter and toasted baguette crumbs
Second Course
handmade cavatelli with fontina béchamel, walnuts, sage
Third Course
vermouth braised short ribs, creamy polenta, rosemary, parmesan
Fourth Course
brillat saverin, comte – 2 year, roomano gouda – 3 year, sour cherry spread, dried cranberries, marcona almonds, raisin walnut bread
Fifth Course
molten dark chocolate cake with raspberry coulis, chantilly
Flight 1 - Pre dinner Apertif (1 note)
Flight 2 - Rayas (7 notes)
White
2007 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Réserve
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
My first time getting to try a Rayas Blanc and wow was I impressed. This is just delicious and rich, with a silky mouthfeel. On the palate, I was thinking of lemon custard, because that rich, fat texture was just perfectly balanced with the lemony acidity. Got to taste this again on day 2 and it was even more expressive. Need to try and source some Rayas Blanc - wow!
Red
1996 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Tasted blind side by side with 1996 Rayas Pignan. The nose on this was beguiling - floral, spice and black tea leaves. On the palate, this was also a lovely, feminine styled wine - light red fruit with lots of earth, light smoke, and a savory finish - but in a very ethereal package - just dances across the tongue. This was my preferred wine of the two (although they were both great) but my guess was Pignan. I always have found the Pignan to be more feminine than the Reserve so that was what led my guess. Everyone else at the table called this as the Reserve.
Red
1996 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Pignan Reserve
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
PnP. Served blind side by side with the 1996 Rayas Reserve. The nose on this was more reticent than the Reserve, but opened up more after an hour in the glass. This one by comparison had a bit more prominent acidity and was not as open initially - probably could have used a bit more air to show its best. Red fruited, with earth and spices slightly darker profiled than the Reserve. Still a lovely glass of wine.
Red
1984 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Slow ox'd for 8 hours prior to serving. Didn't know what to expect here, no tasting notes to be found anywhere and '84 was a wet & cold vintage - but Rayas pulls through again with a 33 year bottle from a lousy year. Clearly a more austere style than some of the warmer vintages, but this still has lots to offer. Acidity is more prominent, the fruit is not up front and center, but the herbs, spices and black tea notes are all on display and quite interesting. It gets better when paired with food. Got to revisit on day 2 and it was still holding its own. Very pleased with this showing.
Red
1988 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Aaah....that lovely perfumed Rayas nose again - can't get enough of that! Had this last month alongside the '89 and '90 and this did not stand out - tonight it was one of the stars for me. That clear, translucent cherry color in the glass that is classic Rayas. In the mouth it is very pretty and red cherry fruited, herbs and black tea, perfectly balanced. Compared to the '84 there is more lively fruit. Prime drinking window now - if you have these enjoy!!
Red
2004 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Similar to my recent experience, the nose while still perfumed is a bit more reticent than some of the other vintages. The acidity on this is also a bit more prominent and it seems to gain more complexity when tasted alongside the food (cheese course) than without. I like this wine and think that it will only improve with some additional time in the cellar.
Red
2008 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
The nose on this is simply outstanding - just gobs of red fruit, florals, spice and black tea - it explodes from the glass casting its glorious aromas to all who happen by. On the palate, this is clearly still very young, more brawny and fruit forward than any of the previous vintages I have tasted (also the youngest I have tasted). Red fruit, some barnyard funkiness that I like and a bit of a black licorice note on the finish. This has years to go and should be tremendous when it fully comes together.
On Day 2 - the nose was still going strong.
Flight 3 - Henri Bonneau (1 note)
Red
1995 Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Marie Beurrier
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Sandwiched in between a vertical of Rayas and a flight of SQN grenache, this served as a great transition. My first time with Bonneau and based on the experience will surely not be the last. Similar to Rayas, this sports a very fragrant and perfumed nose. On the palate, the fruits are darker and a bit more masculine in the style than the Rayas wines, perhaps more forest floor, and darker berries, with lots of earth and spice. This is wearing its age well and unfolds in many layers with a nice finish. Very nice.
Flight 4 - SQN (3 notes)
Red
2005 Sine Qua Non Grenache The Naked Truth
USA, California
Following on the heels of the Old World Grenache, we now transition to something all together different. This is my first time trying SQN and I am not sure that the style is for me. While the Rayas and Bonneau were elegant and refined - these wines are full throttle beasts. On the nose lots of inky dark fruit (no cherries here). On the palate, spicy, sappy, juicy cranberry and pomegranate flavors dominate, saved from the brink by a healthy dose of acidity. I think this one is my favorite of the three (also '06 Raven and '10 Upside Down) but find that I far prefer the Rayas and Bonneau styles. The bottle design is awesome!
Day 2 - resampled and it had softened considerably and was much improved for me. If drinking now may want to give these a long decant.
Red
2006 Sine Qua Non Grenache Raven Series
USA, California
2nd in flight of SQN grenache following (Rayas & Bonneau). The color is inky and not as fragrant as the '05 Naked Truth. On the palate another big bruiser with dark red fruits (cranberry, pomegranate) and a spicy element, but the fruit really takes center stage. Ka pow - these wines really hit you in the face with their flashy style. I would enjoy trying this again perhaps on its own where I could give the wine more focus.
Red
2009 Sine Qua Non Grenache Upside Down
USA, California, Central Coast
Last wine sampled and palate fatigue had set in at this point so minimal notes. I had a hard time distinguishing this from the previous two SQNs ('05 Upside Down & '06 Raven). It seemed very young and primary and would probably hold off opening these for at least another five years.
Closing
This was a great learning experience for me as the first time I had the chance to try Bonneau and SQN. My palate clearly leans more old world as I loved the Rayas and Bonneau wines, but found the SQN wines to be a bit too full throttle for my preference. I suspect the transition from old to new in a single meal might be just too severe and perhaps I would have been able to more fully appreciate the style if they had been tried among a line up of new world wines.
Also my first time with Rayas Blanc, which I loved - my take away is that I need to source some of these to add to the cellar.
For me wines of the night were the '88 and '96 Rayas - both very enjoyable. The '84 was a surprise as it far exceeded my expectations given the vintage and the '08 has the most intoxicating nose and should be a real beauty with some more time in the cellar. But the truth is I am happy to drink any wine from the Rayas line up - anytime - they are just incredibly beautiful and elegant wines, that dance across the tongue and always deliver great pleasure. Having had the opportunity to participate in three wine dinners this fall where we had verticals of various Rayas wines - I now would opt for evenings where we spread out the wealth and let a single Rayas be the star of the show - got to save some of these for later:-)
Thanks to everyone who participated for sharing the wealth of their cellars and helping us to kick off the holiday season in style!
© 2003-24 CellarTracker! LLC.
