1998 Chateauneuf du Pape
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Tasting notes
The 1998 Rayas has sweet kirsch liqueur notes, the color is disturbingly light, which doesn’t normally bother me, but there is also burgeoning orange and rust at the edge. The wine is medium to full-bodied, displays loads of cedar, loamy soil notes, balsam wood, pepper, and garrigue. There is nothing wrong with this wine, and if you haven’t had any of the really great vintages of Rayas (1981, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1995), readers would probably think it’s a super wine. However, I have had great ones, and drink them quite frequently, so for me this is just a good, not profound Rayas. Moreover, I think it needs to be consumed over the next 5-7 years before it loses any intensity. Jun 2010, www.robertparker.com
Critic scores
Robert Parker
About the producer
Ch. Rayas is a cult name in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The wines – pure, silken expressions of Grenache with distinctive perfume – are revered for their singularity and fiercely collected. Made by Emmanuel Reynaud and renowned for their ageability, they have become some of the region's most sought-after.