| Brad's
Tasting notes
1999 Rayas Blanc
A 50/50 split between Clairette and Grenache Blanc (generally
speaking, but who knows when w/ this estate) that comes across as
an imaginary cross of an aged Chablis and a youthful Sancerre.
Flinty aromas reveal layers of smoke, apple peel, wilted lilacs
and crushed stones. The flavors are subtle, evoking the essence of
liquefied minerals, pumping along an intensely bright spine of
turbo charged acidity, excellent persistence and fine precision,
89 points.
1994 Chateau Rayas
It’s been said time and time again, but this wine is, in fact,
very Burgundian. A splash of garrigue, cherry pit and red plums
dance through the air in the medium bodied wine of textbook
elegance and finesse. The finish is coated in crunchy acidity,
speckled with hints of earth and a firm, mineral laced grip, 88
points.
1995 Fonsalette Syrah
This bottle is a stark contrast to the same vintage I drank last
week in that it was much less evolved. Structurally, this is
packed, keeping a firm grip on the primary notes of violet, cassis
and ground pepper flavors that pump out on a channeled, bright
frame. Things lock down a bit firmly on the finish, as a buried
hint of iron and intense graphite grip lurk in the background.
Well stored bottles will likely need close to 5 more years to
wiggle their way towards prime drinking, 93+ points.
1999 Fonsalette Cotes du Rhone
Ever wonder what Cinsault does to a blend? Well folks, here’s
your answer. This red produced some of the most distinctive
characteristics I’ve noted in recent memory, as a barrage of
game-coated elements reveal themselves in the form of red cabbage,
fried green beans, decaying vegetation, bramble, cracked pepper
and worn leather. Certainly esoteric, w/ a rugged, raw
presentation, yet manages to pull things together on the finish,
thanks to the rustling acidity that keeps its almost unruly
elements in check, 86 points.
1990 Fonsalette Syrah
While a Rayas trademark has been the lack of pigment in their
wines, this was hands down the most inky, saturated robe I’d
seen any Southern Rhone wine wear (much less at almost 20 years of
age!). Swirling this diamond in the glass revealed pure,
ambrosia-like delights, as a torrent of black truffle oil, freshly
paved road tar, wild herbs, spice cake, fig sauce and unatamed
earthy elements emerged in the jaw-dropping nose. The wine is
fantastically proportioned in the mouth, w/ completely resolved
tannin, magnificent presence and impeccable symmetry. There is a
sense of presence to this wine that belies description and almost
takes your breath away, finishing w/ verve and class. Make no
mistake; this was a heavenly performance from Fonsalette. From a
qualitative perspective, I think this would prove to be a
fascinating ringer in a top Northern Rhone Syrah flight, not in
the sense that it reminds me of the North, but it could hold its
own amongst the best & is certain to turn heads, as it
certainly did ours, 96 points.
1989 Pignan
Recent tastings of top ’89s have proved to please in all the
right places (not to mention being youthful little buggers) and
this Pignan was front and center, taking its cues beautifully
(although the other bottled opened was corked). Heady,
flamboyantly ripe overtones of black raspberry, kirsch liqueur,
resin and black tea fill the air, as if to whisper reminders in my
ears as to why I love great Grenache. The midpalate is one big
mouthful of hedonistic, sweet fruit, undercut by a vivacious, pure
beam of cleansing acidity. The wine is deceptively lush and round,
w/ a formidable structure that is certain to carry its flesh for
at least another decade in the cellar, 94 points.
1990
Pignan
Sadly, was not meant to be. The first
bottle was corked, the second showed significant signs of heat
damage.
1988
Rayas
The attractiveness in the
88’s bouquet brought a vision of ‘strawberry fields forever’
to mind, dazzling w/ scents of sweet raspberry preserve, cola,
strawberry ganache and notions of cold steel. The sweet attack is
vivid, nearly mimicking the sensation of biting into fresh
berries, yet there is a bit of a detracting hollowness & heat
that escapes in the mid palate, leaving me curious as to whether
or not the body & length will expand in time. Is what you see,
in fact what you get w/ the ’88 Rayas? Time will tell. Gaps
aside, this vintage left us w/ much to appreciate, 92 points.
2000 Rayas
Perhaps the lone
disappointment of the evening, in spite of the spine-tingling
flutter of lavender, red cherry cordial, linzer torte and rose
petal aromas, the palate simply didn’t step up to the plate.
Alcoholic fumes intrude this light to medium bodied wine, masking
its skeletal depth, austere profile and attenuated finish. While a
bit of air exposure did soften the structure and flesh out the
palate a bit, this will likely continue to be a sub-par
performance for Rayas, missing the mark in a stellar vintage, 86+
points.
2004 Rayas
This 2004 is a beguiling,
textbook example of 2004, that has a typical up front, precocious
nature, yet offers plenty in reserve for the cellar. Alluring
hints of dry rub spices (chili powder, cinnamon, cardamom),
cracked pepper, freshly cut rosemary, angus beef and gorgeous
kirsch liqueur scents filled the room, and our imaginations, with
bliss. A fabulously elegant entry paves the way for spicy,
suggestive charms that are undercut by an almost rugged, feral
quality, giving the mouth-feel an uncompromising sense of tension,
pumping out high toned fruit along the gossamer finish, 94 points.
2001 Rayas
This vintage is more
frankly structured & more deeply colored than either the ’00
or ’04. The nose serves up concoction of grilled Provencal
herbs, forest berry, underbrush, pine resin, red currant and roast
beef scents seethe from the glass, w/ piercing, yet backward
intensity. In the mouth, the wine is not fat, but it has
pastry-dough like layers of flesh that coat the stiff, tendon-rich
structure, only hinting at the potential depth and nuance this
effort is sure to tack on w/ another 5 plus years of bottle age.
The finish really sucks you in, w/ a gorgeous beam of buried
minerality that sails along effortlessly, 93+ points.
2003 Rayas
In spite of the year’s
extremities, Rayas crafted a fine example of 2003, revealing
forward fruit, supple texture and finely grained tannins. While
plump and certainly lower in acid, the plush flavors of black
cherry liqueur, sandalwood, damp earth and rose petals are
wonderfully framed and offer compelling depth. This 2003 didn’t
reveal any flaccid, raisined characteristics and should have
enough sinew to brace it for another decade of pleasurable
drinking, 93 points.
2003 Pignan
The two bottles I opened
were horribly cooked, smelling more like distilled brandy than
wine and add yet another wrinkle to the debate of the countless
tales of baked ‘03s. Whether it be sweltering cellar conditions,
careless shipping or simply poor storage, it is a problem and has
made purchasing these wines a precarious proposition.
1995 Pignan
The ’95 Pignan showed
impressively, making my less than stellar previous encounter a
distant tasting memory, revealing oodles of kirsch liqueur, black
raspberry and melted licorice scents that exploded from the glass.
While formidably constituted, the layers of flavor are still
compact and either in need of vigorous decanting or a few more
years in the cellar. This 13 year old still has the vigorousness
of an infant and is a formidably muscular effort from a cool,
sandy terroir, 91 points.
1995 Rayas
One of the most heralded
vintages of modern Rayas has to be the ’95, a deep ruby colored
Grenache that is as coiled as any, suggesting notes of
blueberries, tree bark, kirsch liqueur, bittersweet cocoa powder,
melted licorice and warm fig bread. While seemingly impenetrable
in the mouth (not an easy feat for a pure Grenache wine), there is
a sleeping giant of concentration, moments away from a colossal
impact. Nothing short of monumental in terms of power and focus,
yet excruciatingly restrained in a similar fashion to classed
growth Bordeaux that is too youthful and backward to fully reveal
its inner core of flavors. As the finish echoes a chorus of
garrigue, a fleeting grasp of greatness escapes the palate to the
old sports cliché: ‘wait ‘till next year,’ 96+ points.
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