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2003 Chateau Rayas, Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Regular price $1,598
/
2003 Chateau Rayas, Chateauneuf-du-Pape

2003 Chateau Rayas, Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Regular price $1,598
/
3 In Stock

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Spoken about in hushed tones by many a collector, Chateau Rayas - and all of its arms from Fonsalette to Chateau des Tours - is known as the greatest Grenache producer in the world. After his uncle Jacques' passing in 1997, Emmanuel Reynaud has continually crafted phenomenal wines from each estate that are sought the world over.

Chateau Rayas

Several generations have run the Chateau Rayas, but Jacques Reynaud took the wines into the stratosphere, where Emmanuel has only served to keep them since his ascendance in 1997. Almost as reticent in accepting his fame as Jacques - who used to hide when cars would approach the Chateau - Emmanuel guards closely his recipe to the legendary wines escaping the estate every year.

We know that the vines are ancient and produce small, intense yields. There is no temperature-control in the cellars, and the wines ferment in concrete before being transferred to ancient barrels of several different sizes. That's it - no magic tricks, just patience; the wines will ferment for about a year, and then will be aged in bottle at the estates until they are deemed ready to drink; routinely vintages are released nearly a decade after their fermentations conclude.

The Chateau wines, Pignan and La Pialade are released from the Chateau Rayas' 13 hectares of red-sand, small-pebbled vineyards, surrounded by forests that create a cool microclimate.

Meet the Producer

Chateau Rayas

Spoken about in hushed tones by many a collector, Chateau Rayas - and all of its arms from Fonsalette to Chateau des Tours - is known as the greatest Grenache producer in the world. After his uncle Jacques' passing in 1997, Emmanuel Reynaud has continually crafted phenomenal wines from each estate that are sought the world over.

Several generations have run the Chateau Rayas, but Jacques Reynaud took the wines into the stratosphere, where Emmanuel has only served to keep them since his ascendance in 1997. Almost as reticent in accepting his fame as Jacques - who used to hide when cars would approach the Chateau - Emmanuel guards closely his recipe to the legendary wines escaping the estate every year.

We know that the vines are ancient and produce small, intense yields. There is no temperature-control in the cellars, and the wines ferment in concrete before being transferred to ancient barrels of several different sizes. That's it - no magic tricks, just patience; the wines will ferment for about a year, and then will be aged in bottle at the estates until they are deemed ready to drink; routinely vintages are released nearly a decade after their fermentations conclude.

The Chateau wines, Pignan and La Pialade are released from the Chateau Rayas' 13 hectares of red-sand, small-pebbled vineyards, surrounded by forests that create a cool microclimate.


The Wine Advocate

Wine Advocate

95

The 2003 Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape has gone from strength to strength and now looks to be the finest vintage since the monumental 1995. Deep ruby to the rim with that classic Rayas nose of flowers, kirsch liqueur, black raspberries, crushed rocks, and minerals, the wine is dense and concentrated, with a broad, savory mouthfeel, sweet yet silky tannin, fabulous persistence, and a blockbuster finish that just goes on and on. This is a reassuringly profound Rayas that seems to suggest that Emmanuel Reynaud has finally figured out this cold-climate terroir in a warm climate appellation. This wine should be given 3-4 years of bottle age, and drunk over the following 20+ years.

What the Critics are Saying

The Wine Advocate

Wine Advocate

95

The 2003 Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape has gone from strength to strength and now looks to be the finest vintage since the monumental 1995. Deep ruby to the rim with that classic Rayas nose of flowers, kirsch liqueur, black raspberries, crushed rocks, and minerals, the wine is dense and concentrated, with a broad, savory mouthfeel, sweet yet silky tannin, fabulous persistence, and a blockbuster finish that just goes on and on. This is a reassuringly profound Rayas that seems to suggest that Emmanuel Reynaud has finally figured out this cold-climate terroir in a warm climate appellation. This wine should be given 3-4 years of bottle age, and drunk over the following 20+ years.