CDP Rayas, Château Rayas 2005

The 2005 Châteauneuf-du-Pape has the unenviable task of following the 1990 and does with some chutzpah. A cornucopia of scents: brambly red fruit, Kalamata olives, black pepper, Seville orange marmalade and fresh-picked fennel. Whereas the 1990 has reached its aromatic peak, you feel as if this has more in reserve. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, a satin-like texture with fine depth. Seamless, harmonious and sensual, there is a trace of rosemary and sage towards its precise finish. You could almost describe this as “clinical,” yet that would be a disservice to its personality and charm. 2023 - 2055

Tasted at Mark's Duck House - a beautiful wine with the classic Rayas kirsch notes in abundance. Medium to full-bodied, with fabulous density,and a much darker color than most vintages of Rayas tend to possess, it still has a youthful, adolescent personality and hasn't hit its peak. It should be one of the longest-lived Rasyas in the last 30-40 years.

The 2005 Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape, which looked strong last year, has put on considerable weight, perfume and complexity, and now looks to be the greatest Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape since the legendary 1995 that was made by the late Jacques Reynaud. Deep ruby in color to the rim, with an enthralling/compelling aromatic display of explosive quantities of kirsch, licorice, and balsam wood notes, this wine hits the palate with extraordinary fullness and richness, but even with such amazing intensity, has a delicacy and lightness of being that are almost impossible to fully appreciate. This is a stunner of awesome complexity, richness, and full-bodied power, but it's built like a ballerina. Give it 3-5 years of bottle age and drink it over the following 25 years. This great estate has been going through a transitional period, with some replanting in their vineyards, and of course the enormous challenge of replacing the legendary proprietor and winemaker, the late Jacques Reynaud, who passed away in the winter of 1997. Replaced by his nephew Emmanuel Reynaud, who had worked closely with his uncle, the early vintages, as I reported on in this publication, were good but hardly exciting. Reason to be concerned about the direction in which the estate was going was a legitimate worry. The 1998, 1999, and 2000 vintages were vintages where Rayas was well behind the pack of top producers in Chateauneuf du Pape. However, with that said, the tasting I did with Emmanuel Reynaud in late August was the best tasting I have done with him in a decade, and while it may be premature to say that Rayas is back to the greatness of Jacques Reynaud, Emmanuel has made some fabulous wines that are going to be released over the next several years.