1990 Chateau Rayas Vertical: 2005-2010
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Tasting notes
The 1990 Châteauneuf-du-Pape flirts with that tantalizing intangibility of perfection. The bouquet is heavenly, loaded with melted red fruit, kirsch, touches of Christmas cake, leather and aniseed. Aromas seem to billow and, like your favorite aunt, give the olfactory senses a warm maternal hug. Armed with stunning delineation, I could have just inhaled its perfume all night. The palate is sweet on the entry with cashmere tannins and perfect acidity. Tart cherries and rooibos intertwine towards the sensual finish. It is an utterly spellbinding Châteauneuf-du-Pape that surpasses even my own sky-high expectations. God invented wine to drink wines like this.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
An incredible tasting experience. The wealth of sweet, ripe, silky, refined cherries and kirsch is almost beyond belief. Not quite as concentrated or fresh as it was just a few years ago, this stunner offers a uniqueness of character not found in other wines. The purity in the fruit is spell-binding. There is length, complexity and sensuality that grabs you and keeps your interest from start to finish. This is not a wine to hold for further development. While the decline will be slow, it\'s best to catch this at, or close to its peak and not on the way down.
Mature ruby with a pale rim. Sweet and rich and vibrant. Heady and medicinal in a thoroughly good way. Great freshness. Jewels and spice. Bravo! Still lots of life! (JR)
A brilliant, utterly profound wine, the 1990 Châteauneuf Du Pape Reserve is as seamless and graceful as they come. Having had multiple bottles of this recently, most solid yet a touch tired, I was thrilled to see this one perform so well. Classic Rayas sexiness and seductiveness define this beauty, and kirsch liqueur, peppery garrigue, licorice, and flowery incense all make an appearance here. It's powerful on the palate yet always weightless, flawlessly balanced, and incredibly long. This remains as good as it gets in my opinion, yet given the more erratic showings from other examples, this isn't a wine to squirrel away, and you should enjoy it now while it's at absolute peak maturity. Drink 2026-2026.
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.