2004 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve

Community Tasting Notes (146) Avg Score: 93.7 points

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  3/30/2024 - PJRONeill Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Absolutely gorgeous, in a perfect spot for current drinking. Maybe just a tad lightweight given the vintage, goodness knows what this must be like in a better year, but I’m nitpicking. Delicious sweet red fruits and lovely purity. Red of the year so far for me.

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  2/23/2024 - oxwombat Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Opened in HK. Slow-oxed for 4+ hours before being served.
  
  Having (luckily) had a few Pignans recently, it was lovely to come back around to Rayas properly. You can just tell that there's an extra level of aromatic intensity to Rayas, and the palate is just so elegant. There really is nothing quite like this.
  
  A very good bottle performing to expectation. Consistent with my previous bottle of this a few months ago. Red fruits, herbs, menthol, soaring palate etc. If anything, I think we may have drank this a little too quickly, as it was still gaining intensity with more air: the last pours were the best. Oh well!
  
  In an extremely good spot right now, wouldn't hesitate to drink if you are lucky enough to have these in your cellar. However, these will keep for a few more years at least at this level. Such a pleasure to share this with M, E and L.

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  1/20/2024 - palfr2 wrote:

  Internationale du Gout - Vertical series #1: Rayas dinner with Morrocan fusion food; 1/19/2024-1/20/2024 (Singapore): Matched against Comando G Rumbo al Norte 2019 - After swirling the glass and bringing the glass close tou our nostrils we knew we had moved to the Rayas and Reynaud's nose. Oh that nose!! Yes others are attempting to copy and emulate and you find that signature across the range including Pignan, Pialade and Chateau des Tours. But here and on the wines that followed it is at its most kaleidoscopic. Appreciation of the '04 and its rightful place in the vertical grew as the evening wore on. Not the most complex or packed but entirely true to form and at its peak arguably. Some early evolution and fully resolved palate. Ready. Came in 3rd behind 05/06 in the line-up. In the flight not a lesser wine than the Rumbo. More showy.

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  11/18/2023 - Topper wrote:

  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. 04 was a cooler vintage and that gave it a broad, aromatic appeal on the nose. The palate was cooler anymore restrained than the other two and wasn't quite as showy but you could do lots worse than trying this bottle.

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  11/4/2023 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Same bottle at JVIZ. Has several hours of air before it made it my way. By then, nose was more subtle, but still intense rock and mineral notes, with pepper creating some lift. Palate was smooth and integrated, but balanced without a sense of heat. Really long finish with repeating pepper, spice and sandalwood notes. Fantastic wine.

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