We strive to provide you with the finest traditional producers of each region, but today represents the finest of the fine: Château Rayas. You’ll never forget your first stimulating smell of Rayas—I’ve been in a room where people have labeled it their all-time favorite before touching their lips to the glass.
The essence of Rayas is its ability to capture every nuance of pure fruit, herbs, and minerality; you’ll spend minutes trying to decipher its haunting aromas. Very few wines in the world have such a distinct yet mystifying aromatic makeup, which is one of the main reasons I’m always excited to open up a bottle. The wine is very reminiscent of fine Burgundy: The last time I was blind-tasted on a bottle of 2000 Rayas there were 15 serious tasters figuring out which vineyard of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti it could be. This flagship wine comes from ancient Grenache vines buried in fine sand that are surrounded by towering, guardian pine trees—a terroir no other Châteauneuf-du-Pape vineyard can replicate. Normally, Château Rayas, like First Growth Bordeaux and Grand Cru Burgundy, doesn’t start hitting its full stride until 15-20 years after the vintage, but 2008 showcased elegance over power (which I crave) and the result is a pitch-perfect expression of Rayas’ unique style that can be enjoyed today! It’s gracefully vibrant, with alluring wild fruit and savory herbs that will only keep evolving as years pass by. We only secured a few handfuls (literally) of this precious cargo, so we must limit orders to two bottles per customer.
The extended Reynaud family first acquired the now-legendary Château Rayas in 1880, but it wasn’t made famous until Louis and Jacques Reynaud took over. Having influenced an entire region by upholding tradition and exposing the greatness of its wines to outsiders, this father-son team will forever be in the annals of Rhône winemaking. Jacques led a private life, making hauntingly beautiful wines that soared in demand and price, but he never once made a blip on the “ego radar. He was a traditionalist farmer through and through: A spindly, hard-to-find dirt road wound its way up to the antiquated estate and electricity didn’t make an appearance here until the late 1980s. If someone wanted to visit the estate, booking an appointment was rarer than a white Christmas in Hawaii. As his career progressed, Jacques became known as the “the godfather of Châteauneuf-du-Pape,” so when his unexpected death came in 1997, the wine world lost their breath. Who would take over? His wife tapped the shoulder of their nephew, Emmanuel Reynaud, who was the winemaker at his father’s estate, Château des Tours, in nearby Vacqueyras. He, too, is a true-blue farmer, and although it took some years to find the soulful, inimitable style that Jacques created, it is almost unanimously agreed that the 2005 vintage was Rayas’ return to fame.
The special sites used for Rayas’ flagship Réservé and all are situated in fine-grained sand that makes these 70-year-old vines struggle in the best possible way. Lofty pine trees, or pignans (also the name of Rayas’ second wine) flank and protect these senior vines from harsh elements. This cooler microclimate usually means that Rayas is the last to harvest in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. In the winery, grapes remain on their stems and a long, natural fermentation and maceration occurs without any temperature control. The wine is racked once and rests a few months in enamel vats before being transferred into old French casks of various sizes. The wine is bottled without fining or filtration two years after the vintage. Just pure, traditional winemaking from start to finish.
In the glass, Rayas’ 2008 Réservé shows a bright ruby red core with slight brick orange at the rim. This isn’t as big and hedonistic as some warmer vintages, but it doesn’t sacrifice any signature aromas: You’ll find black cherry, kirsch, wild raspberries, dried mushroom, garrigue, sandalwood, herbes de Provence, red licorice, anise, and a cooling menthol sensation. The elegant palate is pushing medium-plus bodied and is eerily Pinot-like with generous Mediterranean flair. It proffers a great deal of savory herbs and wild, supple fruit next to a piquant rush of minerality; just an elegantly profound piece of art. That’s the magic of Rayas. As mentioned, you can certainly drink this now: Pull the cork 1-2 hours before and serve in Burgundy stems around 65 degrees, or, hold off for 10+ years if you want to see what it can accomplish. Pair with the attached pork tagine recipe and I guarantee you’ll remember the occasion for years to come. Cheers!
