There are cognoscenti on this board - @Keith_Levenberg for example - who profess to dislike the grape. Keith, thoughts on Rayas? The Fonsalette Syrah Cuvee? I love that Cuvee.
A special moment with your son. Wonderful stuff Robert.
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Some wines made from vineyards in the Northern part of the appelation–for my money Charvin, Ferrand and Chappelle St. Theodoric–have some of the floral perfume of Rayas. None of them would ever be mistaken for it, though. But it’s the same with Reynaud’s Vacqueyras and Cotes de Rhone. I don’t know what he does, or what his uncle did. Maybe they all made a deal with the devil. But, while others have terroir appreciably like theirs, no one quite makes their wines. I’ve never tried Commando G, though.
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Jonathan, I’m in Antibes right now. Incredible wine stores here. One gets a small annual allocation of Rayas. He commented on the terroir, said there is no comparison and will not be another Rayas. You could tell this wine was singular to him. Was very animated about it. Told me he keeps three bottles to himself every year, and only his long-standing clients get some. And the price to him was shockingly low.
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You need to be looking for burgs there; can find amazing deals! Then bring them back here and trade for rayas or Ovid or whatever 
The store that I am in has very fancy Burgundies, including La Tache. There was a British guy that was trying to take pictures of all of the DRC bottles, the owner asked him not to do that. They also have that 1965 Armagnac that I had a few nights ago. Likely gonna get that.
I’ve had Rayas that taste as Burgundian as grenache can be and thus profound, but I’ve also had Rayas that taste like prune juice. And perhaps even more of the latter than the former. The highest and best use of grenache is obviously in Rioja.
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Wow, I find very little similarity, as, while I, also, favor Charvin for CDP, find it quite typical of the region in all ways, whereas Rayas is entirely unique.
I went through a bunch of '08 Charvin, found it enjoyable, herbal, light fruited, relatively low abv, but nothing at all like Rayas, so I’m definitely curious which of the vintages you’ve had that give you ANY hint of the great Rayas, so I can try them
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if only he brought his Wine Check???
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Looks at Jonathan’s post above, same thought-process. The 04 and 05 come to mind. I’ve had a couple bottles of each over the past 2 years or so. Go toward the less ripe vintages, not stuff like 09, 15 and 18. And yes, Rayas is singular, but I’m just saying, Charvin can be more aromatic and red spectrum than most.
I will be on the lookout for the less ripe vintages, although you are a broken record in that regard - you like the less ripe vintages everywhere! (as do I, for the most part)
I am a simple man with simple needs!
He’s right that there will never be another Rayas, but I expect his diagnosis of why is not entirely correct. They do have great terroir in Pignan. But there are other domaines that either haves vines in Pignan as well or right near by. There is a list of them above. And, on looking at it, one could add Barroche’s Pure, which is a stone’s throw away from the Rayas vines and even Vieux Telegraphe’s new bottling Pied Long. As I said, there is something about the Reynauds’ winemaking that is an important–maybe the important–part of the quality of all the wines, both at Rayas and at des Tours.
“We just sold the last one”
=
“Not for you buddy”
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It’s getting more difficult to buy Rayas off restaurant lists in France on a ‘walk-in’ basis. The Domaine has asked those restaurants getting direct allocations to ask customers to order 24-48 hours in advance so the wines can be properly ‘prepped’. This obviously helps to ensure they are being served optimally with the correct amount of air, bit also limits who the wines are served to. It’s a delicate issue but most restaurants comply because they are receiving their allocations at less than EUR200/ bottle.
I drank the 2009 twice last week at restaurants near my house in Provence. One was opened 48 hours before, the other popped and poured. The former was much more enjoyable. We took the second one home and drank it over 24 hours and noted the steady improvement.
You are very blessed to have a house in that beautiful part of the world. Every time I visit, I am mesmerized by the landscape, I can see why so many famous artists loved and worked here, as well as the Riviera. I was surprised by how many restaurants had them, most of those were lists on Michelin- star restaurants, so I guess I should not be surprised. The price was the biggest shocker, but now I know what they pay for their allocation. The retailer that I spoke with told me the number was much lower than what you mentioned.
How is one to know of this policy? And what if the resto doesn’t have its carte de vins online? How is one to know whether it even has the wine?
Quite often the Rayas section on a list is asterisked with a ‘please order 24-48 hours in advance’. I guess it rewards repeat/ loyal customers.
Which wine store? Going there in 2 weeks!