1995 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
One of the great vintages of Rayas is still on top of its game. Full, deep, and intense, the wine opens with garrigue, peppery herbs, kirsch, flowers, smoked herbs, and spice. The vibrant palate is long, seamless, and fresh, delivering non-stop, seamless layers of sweet, ripe kirsch. Drink from 2024-2038.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
The 1995 Châteauneuf-du-Pape is served blind. I was unsure about the cleanliness of the aromatics here, although they coalesce with time, red berry fruit, singed leather and a light dried blood tincture. There's a touch of nail varnish in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with a dash of balsamic, a little disjointed at first, but it gains harmony in the glass with plenty of Morello cherry and wild strawberry toward the finish. Fine, though the 2007 showed better two days earlier. Tasted at Burns & German's dinner to celebrate The Complete Bordeaux Vintage Guide book at Medlar.
Very ripe, sweet and winning but only in middle age with, amazingly, some grainy tannins still in evidence. (JR)
Just stunning, the 1995 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve belies the vintage characteristics with amazingly sweet, perfumed aromas of licorice infused raspberries, spice, incense and garrigue that come jumping out of the glass. Almost like candy in the mouth, the wine is medium to full bodied with perfect balance, a light, airy texture, sweet fruit and a great finish. A joy to drink and the seamlessness makes the glass hard to put down.
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.