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The October 2021 Auction: Part 3
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1 / 2Lot 261
Estimate: $4,750
4cm, wrinkled, lightly wine stained, and lightly corroded capsule, nicked, marked, damp stained, and lightly bin soiled label, sign of past seepage.
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Collection name
Reviews
100RP
"The 1978 has provided me with some of the most decadent nectar of my life. It is one of the most precious wines in my collection, and I would not trade it for anything less than a 1961 Chateau Latour a Pomerol! The wine began life as a massive but structured, backward Rayas and came into full bloom during the mid-eighties. It has not lost any of its huge concentration of jammy black-raspberry/kirsch/cherry fruit. The dark garnet color reveals some amber at the edge. The smoky, earthy, gamy nose that interplays with the extraordinary quantity of fruit is a hedonist's dream. Thick, juicy, and succulent, with no hard edges, this high-octane, marvelously proportioned and concentrated wine is Rayas at its greatest. It remains to be seen if the 1989, 1990, and 1995 live up to the sumptuous quality of the 1978 Rayas. My gut feeling is that the 1990 should surpass this monumental wine, the 1995 and 1989 should rival it, and the 1988 might come close to equaling it. Drink it over the next 7-8 years, as the finest Chateauneuf du Papes from this vintage have proven to have uncommon ageability."
Region
Red
Country
Score
"The 1978 has provided me with some of the most decadent nectar of my life. It is one of the most precious wines in my collection, and I would not trade it for anything less than a 1961 Chateau Latour a Pomerol! The wine began life as a massive but structured, backward Rayas and came into full bloom during the mid-eighties. It has not lost any of its huge concentration of jammy black-raspberry/kirsch/cherry fruit. The dark garnet color reveals some amber at the edge. The smoky, earthy, gamy nose that interplays with the extraordinary quantity of fruit is a hedonist's dream. Thick, juicy, and succulent, with no hard edges, this high-octane, marvelously proportioned and concentrated wine is Rayas at its greatest. It remains to be seen if the 1989, 1990, and 1995 live up to the sumptuous quality of the 1978 Rayas. My gut feeling is that the 1990 should surpass this monumental wine, the 1995 and 1989 should rival it, and the 1988 might come close to equaling it. Drink it over the next 7-8 years, as the finest Chateauneuf du Papes from this vintage have proven to have uncommon ageability."
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The world's most influential fine-wine producer and the benchmark for Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and the Rhone. Its appellation (AOC) system codifies geography, grape and method, and its wines set the global standard for age-worthiness and terroir expression.
Spans the Syrah-driven northern crus of Cote-Rotie and Hermitage and the Grenache-based blends of the warmer south, led by Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Its wines are known for power, spice and warmth.
The southern Rhone's most famous appellation, blending Grenache with Syrah, Mourvedre and more into rich, warming, spice-laden reds from galet-strewn soils.