Last year I wrote:"Just lovely. Some pepper on the nose. Gamey while it was cold. Then it turned to silk with notes of leather, cassis, and soft tannins. Elegant."
The only thing I would add is that the dark berries sing in harmony with the balanced tannins. — 7 years ago
Deep reddish/purple color which has me on guard relative to Pinot. Worried that darker than lighter raspberry red has had Mega Red or other manipulation but this Pinot just has concentrated character. Varietal rose petal and cherry notes in aromas. You can see the broad influence from the 3 appellations that comprise the wine. Weighty on the palate without being too over bearing for the varietal. Great accompaniment to the saffron broth salmon this evening. — 10 years ago
My first #chateaurayas and now I understand the hype. Very Burgundian in style but this is just a unique wine deserving its own category. This wine had profound complexity and was perfectly balanced. It is so young. #chateauneufdupape #southernrhone #rhonevalley #grenache #ctbucklinwine — 9 years ago
A bit of oxidation, but otherwise, just fine. Fruit still there. 1970, 45 year old wine for our 45th Anniversary. — 10 years ago
3L 1995 Shafer Hillside Select CS. Group dinner at Nmd. Probably should have decanted it longer than the hour we did. It was going through a really funky stage. Just very one-note and dull. — 7 years ago
Ripe cherry nose with subtle earthy notes. Just a hint of the merde. Really interesting, a little funky. — 8 years ago
This was poured through a Zazzol aerator and just spilled out Cassis, black olive, cigar box and vanilla/brown sugar from the glass. Should she well for another 8-10 years. Delicious! — 10 years ago
John Sobecki
Amazing when first opened but crashed after 20 minutes. I did a light decant so maybe just do that right when you serve dinner ! — 7 years ago