Her Mir Tage

9.5

Rayas 08 exceeded my expectations — it was in great condition. We decanted it at 3 PM and started drinking at 7 PM. In the first phase, it showed sweet red fruit notes. In the second phase, herbal/vegetal notes emerged. In the third phase, a cooling mintiness appeared.

This bottle wasn't as explosively aromatic as the 07 I opened last time — that 07, after two hours of decanting, unleashed an incredibly rich and enchanting floral bouquet. It was like the scent of a garden transitioning from summer into autumn — grand and opulent, with a hint of fading beauty. Notes of black cherry, rose, and blood orange intertwined, and the aromas kept evolving over time — garrigue, incense — complex and alluring, with a grand structure and a rich, round palate.

The 08, on the other hand, feels more like a refined lady from a scholarly family — graceful, gentle, intellectual, with no aggressive edge. — 2 days ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two days. Both days outstanding but slightly different experiences. Day 1 was about power. Day 2 was about balance. The 2020 “Cuvée Réservée” pours a brilliant garnet with a translucent core; medium+ viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with heady, slightly funky notes of ripe brambles, garrigue, red & purple flowers, bacon fat, licorice, and dry rocky earth. On Day 2, everything was more open nit and the fruit showed more bruised with a slightly stewed profile. Lavender was the predominate floral profile too. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. This is textbook Pégau and I love it. Drink now through 2045+ — 5 months ago

Charlie Tapp

9.3

Fig, garrigue and tobacco. — 6 months ago

Chris Hiromura

8.9

Well balanced dark fruit and tanins, benefited from some time to breath. — 4 years ago

ESF

9.3

This really developed nicely: dark ruby, no longer opaque w/minor bricking. Soaring aromas of all manner of red berry fruit, very ripe sweet spot, sweet spice, licorice, bit foresty, garrigue, - just spot on. Cohesive balanced mid-palate, lost some weight but very elegant & generous. So much raspberry, strawberry, kirsch liqueur, brambly, white pepper. Nice length on finish. This is peaking - refined example of regal CDP. — 5 years ago

Andrew Schirmer

9.3

Wild and herbal, strawberry, garrigue. Dry and slightly hot on the finish. Unmistakably Pradeaux. — 5 years ago

with Alsu

Byron Hewett

9.2

I think this has started a graceful decline. Still tasty, but not as vibrant as earlier bottles. Plenty of garrigue and Provençal herbs. Fruit is there, but turning more savory. — 5 years ago

Jay Kline

9.6

I’ve said before that the wines of Chateau Rayas are almost singular in the AOC; certainly one of the purest expressions of Grenache in the world. However, there is another producer that for me, might be an even more archetypal expression of the character of Chateauneuf-du-Pape: Henri Bonneau. Henri’s wines were also predominately Grenache however, they are denser and darker, particularly the Cuvée Marie Beurrier. This is probably more to do with the small addition of other local varieties along with terroir for Mrie Beurrier (Courthézon). Henri had strong feelings about varieties, vine age and cellar practices. He didn’t really like Syrah in CdP (though he had a little of it). He didn’t like ancient vines (most were 30-50 years old and would be torn out and replanted if they were getting up there in the age range) and he believed in extended aging in wood, a collection of very old barrels and foudres. Regardless of whether one agrees or disagrees with his approach, the results were undeniably special.

Opened prior to dinner; enjoyed over the course of several hours. The 2000 “Cuvée Marie Beurrier” pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing (still!). Layered notes of dark brambles, black cherry, garrigue, dried red flowers, beef stew with all the veggies and mixed inorganic earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is forever long. This is tremendously well balanced and a wine that I just wanted to keep coming back to…and I did. Drink now through 2040. — 3 months ago

Jeroen Koenen

9.3

Very fresh and primary! Gorgeous fruit notes, delicate hints of stems, spices, minerals and garrigue. Medium-bodied and transparent in its presentation, lovely acidity all the way through the palate. Made me think Northern Rhone more than Southern.
Very interesting. — 5 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

2013 vintage. Nice fill. Excellent cork. No Durand needed. Decanted with some sed and tasted multiple times over the course of two hours. Origin story medium-heavy body now a light-medium body but with zero loss of color intensity. Primary flavors completely evacuated with secondary and tertiary flavors rushing in to fill the nature-abhorred vacuum. Initially, pretty bretty and likely too much for many...especially those not enamored with/used to such. Black olives, garrigue and cracked black pepper throughout mitigated the sweaty saddle and in serious leather (apologies to Frank Zappa) tendencies in the first hour. Overt, bretty notes dissipated after 45 minutes, This particular wine and vintage at the zenith/absolute top of its' particular bell curve and tastes like it can hover there another 5-6 years without drop-off or apology. 10.28.25. — 8 months ago

Andrew Schirmer

9.2

Appealing darkness, garrigue. Muted aromatics. Good fruit. Entering early drinking window, rim gradation and softening tannin. A tad hot, but well-constructed and a lovely match with ME food. — 5 years ago

with Alsu

Ron Siegel

9.4

Such a great CDP that is still youthful showing lots of dark cherry, kirsch, garrigue, meat, pepper & spice box. — 5 years ago

Aschwin de Wolf

9.4

Classic Châteauneuf-du-Pape nose of chocolate over berries with some pepper and garrigue. Bold, juicy, milk chocolate with enough acid to keep things fresh. A little boozy and young tannins. Not the most complex but what it does, it does very well. Yummy. — 5 years ago

Doug Powers

9.5

Pristine cork (3/4 dry), ripe redfruits (surprisingly still quite primary at age 31), generally soft tannins, some bottle sweetness is also front and center, then some garrigue and just a trace of bitterness at the very back end, super long, lingering finish, while I believe this will cellar further, it’s fantastic right now, so if anyone has this La Tourtine, it’s worth opening a bottle!! WOW!! — 4 months ago

with Jim

Tom Casagrande

9.3

RWOTN. Approachable now and quite delicious. Rich kirsch and and raspberry fruit, some wafty garrigue earthy notes. Rich and silky on entry, so delicious, but at the finish a bit of alcohol (15.5%) pooks though. — 4 months ago

President Obama

9.5

Very yum for $17 at Schneider's — 4 years ago

Ben Lehman

9.0

For one of my all time favorite wines, this was a bit disappointing. What has previously smelled like garrigue and lavender, this time around smelled a bit too much of brett for my taste — 4 years ago

Aravind A

9.2

Pop and pour, notes from 1 hr open. Better than I remember my last btl being, but still not up to the level of that first '11. On the nose: lavender, incense, loads of garrigue, and soft red raspberry..very pure grenache. On the palate: serious acidity, hi-toned red raspberry, more herbal notes, with some salinity, almost olive brine/game, though I believe this is 100% grenache, and attenuated tannin on the finish. This has taken a very savory turn, and the tannin on the finish is slightly attenuated. Yum! — 5 years ago

Byron Hewett

9.4

Cork was soaked. Wine was very much alive. Lovely balsam, garrigue, Provençal herbs and a bit of Brett, but not in a bad way. Completely harmonious. Tannins are mostly gone. Acidity is vibrant. Decanted just prior to consumption. Terrific wine! — 5 years ago

Matt

9.6

Hot iron, iodine, olive tapenade, beef, creosote, curing salt, pink peppercorn, talcum, garrigue, scorched earth, granite, black raspberry liquor, grapefruit, crushed cherry, creme de cassis, rose petals. Ripe, full of flesh with sinew to back it up, found the balance quite remarkable here. The sun and warmth is felt in the generosity, but the tannins and acidity are well within reason. Granite and iron still at its core. — 5 years ago