2005 Rayas CNDP

I could not resist retasting the 2005 Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape. Until the 2007 is in bottle, the 2005 is clearly the greatest wine made at this estate since the 1995. Made from 100% Grenache, it boasts an unusually (for Rayas) dark ruby/purple-tinged color as well as an exceptionally sweet bouquet of black cherry jam, truffles, incense, licorice, and raspberries. Full-bodied with a stunningly rich, concentrated mouthfeel, an explosive mid-palate, and a finish that lasts more than a minute, it is a wine of superb power and intensity admirably displaying the terroir’s hallmark delicacy and ethereal nature. This utterly profound Chateauneuf du Pape should drink beautifully for 25+ years.
-Wine Advocate #179 Oct 2008

(97 pts)
The 2005 Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape, which looked strong last year, has put on considerable weight, perfume and complexity, and now looks to be the greatest Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape since the legendary 1995 that was made by the late Jacques Reynaud. Deep ruby in color to the rim, with an enthralling/compelling aromatic display of explosive quantities of kirsch, licorice, and balsam wood notes, this wine hits the palate with extraordinary fullness and richness, but even with such amazing intensity, has a delicacy and lightness of being that are almost impossible to fully appreciate. This is a stunner of awesome complexity, richness, and full-bodied power, but it’s built like a ballerina. Give it 3-5 years of bottle age and drink it over the following 25 years.
-Wine Advocate #173 Oct 2007

(90-93 pts)
Tasting the three different component parts that go into the 2005 Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape, they all seem to have moderate ruby color and wonderfully sweet, captivating/seductive notes of framboise and kirsch with floral and balsam wood notes. The wine has some sweetness on the attack, medium body, crisp acidity, and austere tannins in the finish. This wine should be somewhat in the style of the 2001, perhaps without as much depth. I have a feeling this will be a Rayas that will take 4-6 years at the minimum to shed some of its tannins, and last for 15 or more years.
-Wine Advocate #169 Feb 2007