Kane is a note-taking beast, mine kinda suck. Hard with the revelry in that group, and of course, the number of wines we always had open at one time! Amazing across the deck. I’ll drop some Rayas notes as I love the stuff and Kane finds it overripe! 
Opened in this order but eventually had them kinda side by side, which was my original intent:
2012 Chateau Rayas Pignan, Chateauneuf du Pape
Really gorgeous perfume, quite aromatic. Sweet kirsch liquor. Clearly a product of a warm year, the Grenache fruit is warm, spicy and with a little spike of heat, but really well-knitted together. Wild strawberries and dry earthy elements on the palate. Unbelievable how Reyanud can coax such ripe flavors and aromas out of a wine without the wine coming across as heavy. (95 pts.)
2012 Chateau Rayas, Chateauneuf du Pape
Tried after the Pignan, lots of similarity here, just a level up. An ethereal wine, nose of ripe cherry liquor, rose petals, wild strawberries, some red citrus, and earthy ground cover. The nose is pure perfume. Just gorgeous. And the palate so lifted, a kaleidoscope of flavors that just dance across the palate. Keep coming back to this wine, over 85 Haut Brion and some other goodies, this is Alfert Wheelhouse (and now, Poorhouse) wine. (97 pts.)
2012 Chateau de Fonsalette (Rayas), Côtes du Rhône
The purity of the Grenache fruit on the 2012 is phenomenal but this Fonsalette has those more classic Chateauneuf du Pape - yes I know it’s Côtes du Rhône - notes of garrigue, Christmas cake spices, and other savory notes. This blend has a higher than typical cut of Cinsault, 35%, a small cut of Syrah, and the remainder is Grenache. Predominate red fruits and perhaps a little teeter into the dark ripe spectrum. Gorgeous. (95 pts.)
From recent drinks, 2012 and 2011 > 2014.
A sublime pairing with the rack of lamb, roasted potatoes and roasted carrots.
PS. The 1978 Stag’s Leap Cab was a pretty awesome pairing as well!
And the prelude at lunch…
2014 La Pialade (Rayas) Côtes du Rhône
A prelude to the main Rayas flight tonight, this 2014 is a fabulous lunch wine with Jorge’s Cuban sandwiches. Tremendous aromatics, rusty iron, wild spicy strawberries, citrus floral. Sweet core of red fruits, nice juicy and tangy. Amazing so much flavor and aromatics packed in a seemingly light bodied wine. (93 pts.)
