3/21/2024 - Richard P Howden wrote:

Well, wow. Opened to a smoky, cherry, olive tapenade filled nose that kept evolving and transforming over the evening. After a couple of hours it was a field of violets, then more cherry. The palate was big, rich and had great intensity, but was also delicate and refined. So classic Allemand. Solid adult here, past the first fully fruited flush of youth but only beginning its journey to tertiary flavors. Long refreshing finish. Stepped up and was even better as food came out, notably charred edge-med rare steaks and pork leg with fig sauce. The sweetness and char of the meat danced with the complementary flavors of the Chaillots. Wonderful Syrah. I have to find some Reynard from this vintage.

3/7/2024 - thesternowl wrote:

Rhône or Nôwhere 2.0 (Malcolm, NE): First, the Gentaz and now, Verset?! Be still my beating heart! Noël Verset is a freaking legend. His first vintage was during the period of peace between the first and second world war which means, for most of his career, Cornas was a tough place to make a living making wine. It wasn’t until the 1990’s that things began to turn around and by that time, Noël was in his 70’s. Talk about perseverance. By the time he made this 1996 vintage, he had already started selling off some of his vineyards and by 2006, he was done making wine altogether. 

And this 1996? It is lighter in color than the other wines in the Cornas line-up; almost a pale garnet with a transparent core. The nose is just crazy. I just wanted to smell it for the rest of the night. Wild mixed berries, dried purple flowers, garrigue, tobacco, and coffee. This was a Cornas of elegance and thinner on the palate relative to the Allemand and Clape. Long finish. Divine with venison, umami bomb, potato and pearl onion. Drinking very well now and could hold for longer but why? Merci Matt!

10/20/2023 - ricard Likes this wine:

A privilege to drink this glittering jewel of a wine again. Orange rim - clearly old. So unbelievably sexy - simply ridiculous. Instantly glorious. A touch of melancholy. Simply exquisite. Romantic and emotional. It's like an old person - doddery and rickety, but so many moments of wisdom and laughter. Really beautiful. A wine of love, about love, for love, from love.

3/14/2023 - rc@ughey wrote:

Poor showing. Stewed, bruised fruit. Intense but lack of focus.

2/7/2023 - rc@ughey wrote:

I've now had this a number of times and every single time it's been really superb. I don't think anyone did better in '18 than Lafarge, and this wine is a real gem. Deep and dark but with lovely balance.

1/28/2022 - Robmcl920 Likes this wine:

The '08 Rabaja is a fantastic young wine that seems like it'll benefit from spending a lot more time in the cellar. I think the Rabaja from recent vintages is a bit more polished, but the profile of the '08 is quite similar to vintages like 2013/2014/2016.

On the nose, I found dark red to black cherry fruit, orange peel, lavender, dark floral aromas, and sweet spices. On the palate, the wine was concentrated with black fruit, dark floral tones, a hint of sweet spice, and lavender. Acidity level is very high, so while the expression of the wine is quite dark, there's plenty of liveliness on the palate (same on the aromatics, where you have a distinct citrus top note). There was still significant tannin remaining in the wine, with the texture slightly rustic, and I would hope the tannins will melt away a bit over the next 5-10 years.

Note I also tasted the '08 Asili, but didn't take any notes on it. But it was very different than the Rabaja, 'prettier' and maybe a bit more refined in terms of the flavor profile, while remaining similarly a bit rustic in terms of texture. The Asili showed more red fruit and roses, with a notable sweetness to the fruit profile, than the black fruit, lavender, etc of the Rabaja.

11/18/2021 - WaiCellar wrote:

Buttery, foie gras. A bit floral. Not much acidity. A bit too straight forward

1/16/2021 - Argrath wrote:

(Burgundy 2008 half-blind tasting)
Full but very rustic nose. Barnyard and brett. Did not blew off. Sour, dark cherries, earth and gravel. Not very elegant.
Fullish and quite rich palate. Plum and raisin. Earth and forest. Very good concentration. But also totally damaged by stinking barnyard and brett. Also a bit volatile. Comes across as a rustic sort of natural wine.
Correctly identified as the Ponsot. Perhaps show the danger of working with old wood. This was no fun experience. My number 9. Groups number 9.

4/6/2021 - gsquireh Likes this wine:

This wine is a glorious journey to euphoria. Had my first bottle in Montreal about six years ago, and when back home, I began scouring the U.S. for various vintages of this wine whose provenance I could trust. I found 2 bottles of the 2008; 1 of the 2006, 1 of the 2005, and 1 of the 2003.When the wine flows from bottle to glass, (we DID NOT decant) the color evolves from pale amber to a polished ruby red. Savory culinary notes with some hazy, soft peppery, herbal scents evolve to a fresh aromatic, classic nose of crushed almonds with a cherry bouquet. A sweet, dark earth odor, merges potting soil with the glory of truffles, accompanied by slight hints of licorice. As we drink, dine and enjoy subsequent pours, the wine becomes rich and full-bodied, evolves into a seductive structure, caressing the mouth and palate with every swirl. Am I drinking a Grand Cru Burgundy? Sure feels in every sense like one. This is my favorite CDP on mother earth. Wine-making at its best, Chateau Rayas is the pinnacle of CDP bringing honor and love to the wines of the Rhone Valley

12/4/2020 - rc@ughey wrote:

This is such a powerhouse. But in contrast to some of the other notes, I think it's a bit of a shame to open these so young. It's nice for sure, but it's so dense and coiled now that the overall impression veers towards monolithic. I find that DP really needs 15-20 years from vintage and this one may need more than that. I have no doubts about the future of this wine--it's concentrated and detailed and impeccably balanced--but I'll be holding the rest of mine for at least several more years and I'm not sure this will really come into its own until the 2030s.

Incidentally, while this is quite a bargain for the less-than-$150 it can occasionally be found for, I think it's notably inferior to '08 Cristal--which is worthy of all the hype--and also Krug 164eme, which I *love*.

7/27/2020 - mike wrote:

Great wine, perfect balance, both dark and red fruited, Rugiens at its best.

2/28/2020 - rc@ughey wrote:

This is an A+ villages -- drinks like a 1er or higher (and priced accordingly). Intense on the nose and palate. The fruit concentrated but super fresh and crunchy, and this shows moderate complexity. Long finish.

9/5/2019 - Song103 wrote:

This may not be a pristine bottle, so I shall not rate it. Fading, but still enjoyable. Burdundy like in colour. Sweet and sherry like, but without much substance and complexity. Should definitey be drinking up, even if you have well stored bottles.

8/6/2018 - prof b wrote:

Salil and I get together for jerk chicken.: An ideal bottle of Mosel Spatlese. Incredible acidity combined with stone fruits and clear, clean sweetness.

7/13/2018 - rc@ughey wrote:

Small taste but a winner. Pure, spicy, brambly fruit. Middleweight but nice concentration.

6/7/2018 - Nojomoschwa Likes this wine:

Wow, this is what I want from a red Burgundy, and it is 'only' a villages. Though, of course from the master of Volnay and in a year which included the wine usually destined for his old-vine cuvée. It is pure class. At once clean and refreshing with an underlying depth and complexity that makes each sip different from the last over the meal. Nothing out of place, no hard edges. It is not the longest, or more complex, to be sure, but boy does it beg for another sip.

3/19/2018 - rossi.wine wrote:

Crushed stones, tobacco, some dried fruit, earthy notes on the nose. Lots of acidity on the palate, concentrated fruit, minerality, drying tannins. A little unbalanced. 90-92

3/18/2018 - rc@ughey wrote:

This is a blockbuster. Evocative saline/citrus nose introduces a huge rockwall of minerality on the palate, which also shows super-dense and concentrated citrus. Still pretty compact--and not particularly opulent--but massively impressive. Reference-quality Chablis that still may reach greater heights.