March 5, 2024 - Stunning showing, with some structure still in reserve. I think this will age another 15 years or so, and eventually rival the ‘88, ‘89, and ‘90.
January 20, 2024 - Internationale du Gout - Vertical series #1: Rayas dinner with Morrocan fusion food; 1/19/2024-1/20/2024 (Singapore): Matched against the '07 - This was a toss-up with the '06 in the previous flight. The '05 nose shared the same attributes only much more restrained. The '05 was the most coiled up of all Rayas tonight and grew a lot in the glass revealing additional scents and flavors as the evening wore on. Narrowly edged the '06 for WOTN. Should be magical in the fullness of time, 2034 onwards
January 6, 2024 - Wow, just absolutely gorgeous nose! Very fragrant with lots of strawberries, cherries, a hint of violets, and just a tiny bit of heat. Medium acidity on the palate with more of that gorgeous wild strawberry flavor intertwined with more berries and fruit and a bit of tertiary notes. Very long finish. Oh, what a wine! There is a bit of noticeable alcoholic heat, but it's no way distracting. A wonderfully balanced wine. I'm rating this slightly below the last bottle I had, mainly because this was a pop-and-pour and it would have benefitted from more air and a long decant.
December 26, 2023 - Just beautiful. Perfumed, long, complex, graceful. There is a core of power and ripeness, likely from the vintage. Drinking great, this is a tremendous wine.
November 18, 2023 - In a flight of 04, 05 & 06 at the Pressoir Rayas dinner. For me 15-20 years is the sweet spot for Rayas reserve. It's when it shows all its volume, spice, pepper and fruit but is firmly in its drinking winner. At this dinner, the 10 was great but not near ready and the ones from the 90s were not as fresh as I might like so this flight really did it for me. I was lucky to buy several bottles of this on release, before the price went through the roof, and it remains my favorite vintage, especially for drinking today, though the 06 was also quite delicious. The 05 has everthing you want in this wine, the fruit, the spice, the volume, the breadth, the harmony. Don't look for burgundy notes in this wine - it is its own animal. Maybe some day the 10 will be the better wine, but not today.
September 24, 2023 - Superbe nez de fraises mures, garrigue, soy sauce, animal... Sweet red ripe cherries, salty cherries, lenght 45 sec, very delicious!!
July 1, 2023 - In a very good place, showing age on nose and colour. Perfumed almost Burgundian. Fleshy with sweet fruit and spice, not sure this will get any better, but will drink for a few years more
April 24, 2023 - Decanted about 3 hours. Amazing wine, consistent with previous note.
January 19, 2023 - A Quartet of Rayas: I was an outlier here, as I simply didn't like this vintage. The bottle was in perfect shape, and all three others liked it very much. I just don't seem to appreciate young CDP at all any more (and yes, this was young!). Ranked fourth of four by all four of us (1978,1989,1990,2005).
November 29, 2022 - Dinner with RJ (Palmetto Bluff): Youthful expressive nose displaying super concentrated ripe dark red fruit, cherry liqueur, blackberry liqueur, a hint of licorice, strong tobacco, leather, dark caramel, sap, garrigue, sweet spices and mineral. Exceptional concentration, layers upon layers of concentrated dark fruit, rich, sweet and deeply toned, but also beautiful detail and balance, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, and a long intense dark fruit driven finish with tobacco and garrigue at the end. This remains incredibly youthful. One of the most concentrated Rayas with all telltale signs of great Rayas, tobacco, leather and licorice. Rayas wines are so unique that I can often correctly identify them.