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Vallée du Rhône

Château Rayas

4.8
(14 customer reviews)
The Château Rayas estate has belonged to the same family since Albert Reynaud. A mythical estate, unique and unspoiled, its wines are of unparalleled elegance and refinement. Château Rayas is an emblem of the Rhône Valley. These prestigious grands crus are just like Château Rayas itself, a timeless experience, a mystery to be unraveled. Find out more
Recommended by
Parker Wine Advocate - Jancis Robinson
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The winemaker

An estate belonging to the Reynaud family, winegrowers for several generations


In 1880, Albert Reynaud, a notary in the Avignon area, decided to retrain after becoming deaf, and bought the Château Rayas estate as a hobby. He began developing the wine at the beginning of the last century, and at the end of his life bequeathed the estate to his grandson Jacques Reynaud, who died suddenly in 1997.
The management and running of the estate were then entrusted to his nephew Emmanuel Reynaud, who is now the owner. Passionate and driven by a love of his terroir, he took the family estate back into his own hands, restoring a vineyard that badly needed it, while retaining the mythical, original spirit that characterizes the estate.

The originality of the estate and the terroir


Located in the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Château Rayas is a small estate with around ten hectares of vines, producing an average of 10,000 bottles, a relatively low yield. Château Rayas is one of those faces of French viticulture that have been elevated to the level of myth. The terrain is original, very sunny, north-facing, on sandy soil, in the middle of the woods.

This sand from the sea is both the richness of this estate and gives the wine finesse and a silky side. The grapes are hand-harvested when very ripe, in whole bunches. The main grape variety grown is Grenache (100% Grenache for the red and Grenache and Clairette for the white).

Indeed, it's the only grape variety that can manage without clay. Clay normally adds texture and color to the wine, and retains water and nutrients. As there is no clay in the Château Rayas terroir, the fruit is very light, the wines fine with little color and the harvests small. This terroir is therefore totally different from the Châteauneuf terroir, where the vines are rooted in clay and pebbles.

Singular philosophy and state of mind of Château Rayas crus


For Emmanuel Reynaud, it's very important to respect the grape, the fruit. The specificity of this estate is also this particularity and respect of making wine with grapes picked with love and gentleness by hand. It's important to discover the philosophy of wine, to pick ripe fruit from the soil and to vinify it with respect. In the fine sand, wine ripens gently, nature speaks.
We must let creation do its work, respecting and acting as little as possible. The Raynaud family, and Emmanuel in particular, strive to anchor this state of mind in their estate.
15 wines available
between 422.73 € and 3285.92 €
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