Réservé Châteauneuf-du-Pape Grenache Blend

Two great thanksgiving wines but with a very clear winner and not even difficult to guess. I have zero emotion with the Margaux and love the elegance of the Rayas even in a year that may be a bit less.

A gorgeous intense nose. Tangy blue fruit, garrigue. Intense and bright and powerful. Delicious.

Almost perfect. Stewed fruit, great bitterness, extremely round and perfect tannins. Close to a grand cru burgundy in a good year with 10-15 years of age.

The wine is old and borderline maderized. Unfortunately just got a case of this.

Marc Fosh Guest Chef Dinner: Night 1

Served double-blind as a sort of epilogue to an already epic night. This was served alongside another red wine that was also presented double-blind. Immediately, I called this Southern Rhone and the other wine, Sangiovese from Toscano (it ended up being a 2012 Biondi Santi Riserva). This presented a bright ruby color in the glass with a transparent core. This wine…had an OMG nose. The kind of aromatics that could end all wars and bring a century of peace to all mankind. It’s both powerful and elegant. Both ripe and fresh. An androgynous wine that represents both masculine and feminine with a grace that would make Prince or David Bowie envious. Gorgeously layered red and dark fruits, exotic spices, licorice and garrigue wrapped in the most beautifully textured package imaginable. It reminded me of something similar a previous experience; like Fonsalette…but this was different, there was more here. When you taste this, everything becomes clear. You look at everyone at the table differently; for what you have more in common instead of what makes us different. An experience akin to an Odesza show on MDMA. It’s that profound and then you are forever changed. You wake up the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that and weeks go by and your worldview is different. You see love in everything. And then it was revealed to be a 2010 Chateau Rayas. *Insert expletive*. A magnificent wine. An epiphany and, as far as I’m concerned, perfect. This is not merely a great Chateauneuf du Pape. This transcends the appellation. It should be its own AOC. Drink now or whenever you’re reading this note.

Beauty, pure, lifted. Ripe no doubt.
It’s as good as it gets with Grenache

Whatever you want to call me , Rayas fanboy, groupie, fanatic, I am guilty as charged.
After a night of drinking some very special burgundy and champagne , I pulled this out as the evenings festivities were coming to an end. No decant just a pop and pour . Like a great racehorse it overcame many challenges and handicaps before it emerged victorious . Meteorites of cherry, raspberry and mint assault your nose. In the mouth, pure red fruit is joined by pepper and earth where it all combines to stage a “sit in “ that does not end. A gift from Bacchus

Needs few comments. Seems like a lot of alcohol but not distracting, wild black berries , quite a masculine rayas. Years left in it. My favorite CDP together with bonneau’s reserve des celestins (the polar opposite)

It is a great rayas almost at par with 2007 and 2010. Fully mature with this typical feminine Grenache taste. Wow happy to drink it once more.