Rhône legend Château Rayas going back to 1998 – Tuesday 18th November

As we continue the build-up to our 10th anniversary celebrations, the headline events keep on coming…

Few names in the Rhône Valley are wrapped in as much mystique and intrigue as Château Rayas. Undoubtedly the most acclaimed name in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, its wines have transcended the appellation to become fiercely collected, dizzyingly pricey and widely revered for their pure, silken expressions of Grenache.

Yet behind them is a rather ramshackle provenance. The Rayas cellar was described by Jancis Robinson MW as the least salubrious she has ever visited. ‘I’ve never seen such grey, ancient, cobwebby casks ranged apparently at random in the dusty, earth-floored winery,’ she wrote of a rare visit to the property. And yet… ‘The most extraordinary of many extraordinary aspects of Rayas is how pure the wines are compared to the conditions in which they are made and aged. Rich and ethereal, transparent and floral, utterly hedonistic but without heft…’ she says.

There is little doubt that Rayas is, to put it mildly, unorthodox. North-facing vines on soil featuring none of Châteauneuf’s famous ‘galets roulés’; ridiculously low yields of around 15hl/ha; whole-bunch ferments in concrete tanks; and aged in rarely seen 450-litre ‘double-piéce’ and larger oak foudres. Both the grand vin and the second wine, Pignan, are 100% Grenache while the wines of a separate estate, Château de Fonsalette, include two red Côtes du Rhônes: a Grenache-Syrah-Cinsault blend and an ultra-rare single-vineyard Syrah.

We have managed to assemble a stunning line-up of all four wines across three vintages – 1998, 1999 and 2000. To present them, someone who knows the wines as well as anyone – Rhône expert Matt Walls, contributing editor and Rhône Regional Chair for Decanter and the author of two books on the Rhône: Wines of the Rhône (2021) and The Smart Travellers Wine Guide to the Rhône Valley (2025).

‘Just how does Emmanuel Reynaud create wines that are so strong in character, so identifiable by their perfume alone? So delicate but so long-lived?’ asks Matt. ‘Only he knows. But having visited Rayas every year since 2012, I’ve gleaned various points on how he works. I still can’t fully explain the miracle of his wines, but I’ll share what I know about the myth and legend that surround Rayas.’ It should make for an unforgettable evening.

The wines we will be tasting:
1998 Côtes du Rhone, Château de Fonsalette
1999 Côtes du Rhone, Château de Fonsalette
2000 Côtes du Rhone, Château de Fonsalette
1998 Côtes du Rhone, Cuvée Syrah, Château de Fonsalette
1999 Côtes du Rhone, Cuvée Syrah, Château de Fonsalette
2000 Côtes du Rhone, Cuvée Syrah, Château de Fonsalette
1998 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Pignan Reserve, Château Rayas
1999 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Pignan Reserve, Château Rayas
2000 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Pignan Reserve, Château Rayas
1998 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Château Rayas
1999 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Château Rayas
2000 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Château Rayas

Tuesday 18th November
St James’s Room
18:30 – Welcome reception
19:00 – Masterclass begins
20:30 – Masterclass ends

Please note, tickets are refundable for cancellations up to 5 days before the event. Cancellations must be made in writing to [email protected]. Any cancellations within 5 days of the event are non-refundable unless 67 Pall Mall resells the ticket to another Member. This is only possible when the event is sold out and there is a waiting list.

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