Community Tasting Notes 18

• Andyrodriguez87 Likes this wine: 92 points

  March 19, 2023 - From an original wooden case purchased by the gracious gentleman who brought this to dinner on release. This was my first rayas Blanc, so it’s a little bit hard to really articulate this wine well as it’s like nothing else I’ve ever really had. In one word - singular. The wine had absolutely zero signs of oxidation and was a bright yellow color - no honeyd tones. At first quite shy on the nose not really offering up much and it never really got explosive by any means - stayed somewhat reserved but did open up. Hard to pin down the aromatics but a little licorice, perhaps some ginger? Some almond paste and nougat, too. On the palate, the wine is really interesting and honestly unlike anything else. Very low acid signature, not ripe or tropical, not mineral driven, not sweet.. just super different. A little ginger, light almond paste, vanilla and a somewhat floral lift, with a really pleasant, almost sweet finish. The coolest part of this wine was it’s texture! It was incredibly enveloping and lush and velvety - extremely memorable texture! Again - hard to describe, but a singular wine and a REALLY cool experience! Very grateful to have tried this

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• Xavier Auerbach wrote: 94 points

  November 25, 2019 - A private lunch (Hotel Les Avisés (Jacques Selosse), Avize, France): From the private cellar at Jacques Selosse, not on the list in the restaurant. Full yellow colour, lively and light for age; mature profile but perfectly fresh, no signs whatsoever of oxidation or fatigue, slightly floral even, complex aromatics are hard to pin down (citrus, almond, crème patissière, aromatic green herbs, fresh vegetable juice, dried tropical fruits, walnut and chestnut, forest floor), vinous and intense but elegant and playful, ripe citrus on the long finish with gentle bitters. A privilege. If I look at the other TN’s for this wine here on CT, this bottle clearly proves the importance of perfect provenance for old whites.

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• Raage Likes this wine: 92 points

  July 15, 2019 - CD5
  A l'aveugle; nous sommes dans le sud, on hésite. Beaucoup de finesse, un vin très digeste d'une dizaine d'année, en pensant à CDP j'exclue Rayas que je voyais plus typé, plus agrumes, plus aromatique. Pourtant, c'est l'equilibre qui prime ici, des aromes pastels (nuances d'anis, d'épices, de salinité), avec un tactile très fin, un toucher délicat, subtil, élégant. On peut dire qu'il "en manque un peu", en même temps pour ses presque 20 ans, il n'arbore aucun défaut (zéro oxy), il est pur, propre, net à défaut d'être flamboyant.
  A boire donc, pas pour sa complexité, mais bien pour sa justesse.

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• DBdeParis Likes this wine: 94 points

  August 24, 2018 - Brilliant wine but needed 2 hours decant time to really emerge, was very shy at first. Perfect at cellar temp. Rich but very harmonious and balanced without obtrusive alcohol. Feels nicely mature but I'm going to wait a year or two before trying the next one.

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• psmith wrote: 89 points

  June 3, 2016 - Mature. Darker marmalade and nutty tones. A good dose of alcohol in the middle both picks things up and then overwhelms them a bit. Enjoyable, but probably as good as it will ever be.

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Pro Reviews 1

Wine Definition

• Vintage 2000
• Type White
• Producer Château Rayas
• Varietal White Rhone Blend
• Designation Blanc Réserve
• Vineyard n/a
• Country France
• Region Rhône
• SubRegion Southern Rhône
• Appellation Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 1 (0%)
• In Cellars 145 (65%)
• Consumed 77 (35%)

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