2014 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge, Rhône Valley, France

ABOUT THIS WINE

2014 was a challenging and relatively cool vintage in the Southern Rhône, making it particularly interesting at Rayas. Rayas is essentially an outlier within Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It is made of 100% Grenache from northern facing vineyards, which are composed of sandy soils, and protected by the surrounding forest. 

Rayas uses extremely low yields in order to get the best selections. Harvesting is done by hand, later in the year than neighboring vineyards. The grapes are processed through whole-bunch fermentation with indigenous/native yeasts in concrete vats. Maceration is deliberately gentle with low-extraction. The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation before élevage. The wine goes into very old, large oak foudres rather than new oak. For around 16 months. 

Those choices helped establish an interpretation of Grenache that is markedly different from the richer, darker expressions commonly associated with the Southern Rhône.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

The Reynaud family’s history at Rayas dates to 1880, when Albert Reynaud acquired the property. Louis Reynaud later expanded the family holdings with Château des Tours and Château de Fonsalette. Jacques Reynaud took over Rayas in 1978, followed by his nephew Emmanuel Reynaud in 1997. Emmanuel remained responsible for Rayas until his death in November 2025.

Rayas is particularly famous because its vineyards look almost nothing like the stereotypical image of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Instead of sun-baked vineyards covered with large galets roulés, Rayas has very poor, deep sandy soils, with vineyards surrounded by woodland and largely oriented toward the north. The trees, shade, and exposure create a comparatively cool mesoclimate and extend the growing season.