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ProducerChateau Rayas
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Vintage1994
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Grape VarietySyrah
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RegionRhone
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Sub RegionCôtes du Rhône
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SizeBottle
Jacques Reynaud, who died in 1997, was one of the true characters in Châteauneuf. A notoriously shy and private man, he was known to avoid appointments by hiding in ditches that lined the rutted driveway leading to his château. However, he was recognised as one of the world’s greatest winemakers and the legacy of Château Rayas is now continued by his son François.
Rayas also makes three different Fonsalette wines; Chateau Rayas Fonsalette Cotes du Rhone Cuvee Syrah, Chateau Rayas Fonsalette Cotes du Rhone and Chateau Rayas Fonsalette Cotes du Rhone Blanc.
The wines of Fonsalette are made in the cellars of Rayas. In total, Emmanuel Reynaud owns 10 hectares of vines in the Cotes du Rhone appellation.
94 Points Robert Parker Wine Advocate
A big surprise was the degree to which I blew it with respect to Jacques Reynaud’s 1994s. Now in bottle, they are significantly richer and more complete than my reviews indicated when I tasted the component parts last year. The 1994 Fonsalette Cuvee Syrah (only 4000 bottles produced) achieved 14.5% alcohol naturally. This black-colored, staggeringly rich wine is not far behind the other-worldly 1995. It hits the palate with a crescendo of massive portions of cassis fruit, smoke, earth, and Asian spices. Extremely thick, unctuous, and moderately tannic, this is an enormously-endowed, gargantuan Syrah that will require 7-10 years of cellaring. It is another 30-year wine.