Château Rayas

Reserve Château de Fonsalette Côtes du Rhône Red Rhone Blend 2006

9.5

2006 vintage. Opened and put aside for a half hour, then decanted and tasted after an hour. Excellent fill and cork with minimal sed. Rusty, brickish color. Earthy, spicy nose. Light bodied. Phenomenal amounts of undying back palate push and spice “componentry” to vault this into Holy Bleep territory. Another decade at this level. Such a pleasure. 04.18.25. — 4 days ago

Ted, David and 12 others liked this

Tom Casagrande

You lucked out. Last three bottles I’ve had of Fonsallette from the aughts were, of necessity, purchased on the secondary market and obviously poorly stored by some rich a**holes who didn’t give a sh*t and didn’t appreciate what their wealth and connections were able to get. As a result, all three bottles I got were tired and browning. Still, the memory I have of how great these wines can be (from the 80s and early 90s before they acquired cult status) keep me rolling the dice and spending $$ I shouldn’t searching to re-live that magic despite the risk of poor storage.

La Pialade de Rayas

Côtes du Rhône Grenache Blend 2014

Michael Greene

9.2

Like a very structured rose. Orange blossom. Funk. — 3 months ago

Lyle, Pooneet and 1 other liked this

G.A.E.C. Bonneau & Fils

Réserve des Célestins Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhône Blend 2014

Lee Pitofsky

9.4

One of the last couple vintages from the master, and while it won’t be as legendary as the finale of 2015 (which is one to hold), the cool 2014 vintage has been managed beautifully, and allows for early drinking. After 2 hours in the decanter it’s wonderfully expressive and aromatic wafting layers of kirsch cherries, saddle leather, camphor and violets. The palate shows striking richness and an impeccable balance of elegance, ripeness and concentration, which is quite the feat in this vintage.

When you think of vintages in Rhône that are considered to be less heralded, such as 2008 for example, typicites just don’t exist for the likes of Bonneau and Rayas. (08 happens to be one of my favorites for both). Ultimately there are no bad vintages for Bonneau, just different ones. Beautiful wine. — 5 months ago

Jan, Scott@Mister and 6 others liked this

Château Rayas

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Grenache 2012

Conrad Green

9.6

The nose is just gorgeous. Lifted and pure. Translucent. Bright consommé-like raspberry, cherry with an earthy bloodiness underpinning. Super pure. Excellent — 5 days ago

with Walker and David

Ira liked this

Ira Schwartz

@Conrad Green 👍. I’ll be dining at République this Friday. I know you have many wine dinners there. Although, I am an invited guest and will be part of a large group, I am looking forward to hopefully picking out a bottle from their great list and having it after dinner with guests who appreciate wine. Is there a particular sommelier I should introduce myself to? Thanks.

Conrad Green

That’ll be fun Ira…. It’s such a consistently good restaurant. I love Sarah Clarke there if she’s working that night. Very knowledgeable and great at her job. There’s usually some gems on their list, so you should be in for a treat

Ira Schwartz

@Conrad Green much appreciated!

Château Rayas

Chateau de Fonsalette Réservé Côtes du Rhône Syrah 2008

Jay Kline

9.4

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of three days and consistent throughout. The 2008 Cuvèe Syrah pours a deep, hazy ruby/purple color with a near translucent core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with heady notes of ripe black and red fruits: mixed brambles, garrigue, lavender, black pepper, salmiakki, olive brine, spiced and cured meat, and dry stony earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish lasts for ten minutes (no cap); savory and spicy. This is my second time getting to enjoy this truly special wine and both experiences were consistent. Drink now with a 30min decant and enjoy through 2033. — 3 months ago

Daniel, A. and 14 others liked this

Tom Casagrande

Very lucky to be able to find this these days. Someone’s hoarding them. Not sure who . . . but I will track. them. down.

Jay Kline

@Tom Casagrande for real. Even Chateau des Tours is nearly impossible to find anymore and secondary pricing is painful.

Tom Casagrande

@Jay Kline - And secondary storage conditions are Russian Roulette.