Red Type: 2007 | Chteau Rayas | Chateauneuf du Pape Pignan
A very silky, perfumy style, with an old-school edge of sage, mint and tobacco to the core of mulled cherry and red currant fruit. The silky finish lets a shiso leaf edge linger nicely, with fresh acidity underneath.
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Producer: Chteau Rayas
Ratings: V | 94 WA | 93
Vintage: 2007
Size: 750ml
ABV: 14%
Varietal: Grenache
Country/Region: France, Rhone
A very silky, perfumy style, with an old-school edge of sage, mint and tobacco to the core of mulled cherry and red currant fruit. The silky finish lets a shiso leaf edge linger nicely, with fresh acidity underneath.
Reviews:
- Vinous: Vivid red. Intensely perfumed, expressive aromas of red and dark berry compote, smoky minerals and incense, along with a deep note of black cardamom. Palate-saturating raspberry and kirsch flavors are complicated by suggestions of licorice pastille and candied lavender, with silky tannins adding support. Becomes sappier with air and finishes with excellent clarity and mineral-laced red fruit character.
- Wine Advocate: As I indicated last year, this estates sleeper selection is their 2007 Pignan Chateauneuf du Pape, a 100% Grenache from sandy soils. This offering, aged totally in old foudres and demi-muids, includes some of the declassified Rayas lots, and the 2007 is the finest Pignan since the 1990. A medium ruby color is followed by explosive aromas of sweet kirsch, lavender, licorice, and earth. The wine hits the palate with a blast of fruit and glycerin, full body, and an ethereal lightness and elegance that are remarkable for a wine of such intense fruit. A great effort, it may merit an even higher score after a few years in the bottle. Enjoy it over the next 12-15 years.
Producer Information
Chteau Rayas is a leading producer in the Chteauneuf-du-Pape appellation of the Rhne Valley. It is one of the region's most prestigious estates, and its wines fetch some of the highest prices in southern France. Much about Rayas is unusual. Firstly, the estate's red wine is made solely from Grenache, unlike most Chteauneuf-du-Pape wines that typically contain Syrah, Mourvdre and a range of other varieties. Secondly, the estate's 13 hectares (32 acres) of vineyard face north, and do not have any "galets rouls" the rounded stones so closely associated with the appellation and often found littering vineyard sites in Chteauneuf. Thirdly, the estate's wines are matured in larger-format, "double-pice" 450-liter barrels. Chteau Rayas' flagship Chteauneuf-du-Pape label is known for its sweet, pure fruit and silky texture, and has a reputation as one of the best wines in the appellation for longer-term aging. The second label, Pignan, is also 100 percent Grenache, and tends to be gutsy and ripe and not quite so polished in style as the top cuvee. The chteau's white Chteauneuf-du-Pape is generally made from Grenache Blanc and Clairette in roughly equaly proportions. Chteau Rayas has been in the Reynaud family since the 1880s. Owner Emmanuel Reynaud also makes the (highly priced) Chteau de Fonsalette and Pialade Ctes du Rhne wines at the Rayas winery. Chteau des Tours in Vacqueyras is a separate estate and winery, under the same ownership.
