2010 Château Rayas Pignan Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve
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Tasting notes
The 2010 Châteauneuf Du Pape Pignan is a beauty, with a powerful, concentrated, full-bodied style as well as classic notes of darker cherries and assorted berry fruits supported with an almost Côte Rôtie-like floral, gamey, exotic character that develops with time in the glass. Wonderfully textured, deep, and layered on the palate, it's unquestionably drinking brilliantly today yet will cruise for another decade or more in cold cellars.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Bright ruby-red. Intensely perfumed red fruit and floral aromas are complicated by notes of Asian spices and minerals. Extremely fresh on the palate, offering nervy redcurrant and raspberry flavors and a strong spicy underpinning. A zesty note of blood orange comes up with air and adds a tangy edge to the long, precise, floral-accented finish. A very sexy wine that's surprisingly approachable now, especially compared to its big brother.
(all grenache): Deep red. Highly aromatic scents of red fruits, flowers and Asian spices, with a hint of pungent herbs in the background. Sappy and precise, showing impressive focus and cut to its tangy redcurrant and bitter cherry flavors. Finishes with outstanding clarity, silkiness and length, leaving a sweet red fruit note behind.
Rayas's 'other' Châteauneuf was a tad reduced when I tasted it but was marvellously deep and rich. Harder than the Fonsalette Grenache and even a little too hard on the finish at the moment. There is richness here but massive tannins too. You may have to wait longer for this than for Ch Rayas 2010. (JR)
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.