Tasting Notes:

98 points Vinous

We end on a high note with the sublime 1989 Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Powerful yet also super-finessed, the 1989 boasts extraordinary aromatics, seemingly endless fruit and striking inner sweetness. A real knock-out, the 1989 is hauntingly beautiful from the very first taste. (AG)  (7/2015)

97 points John Gilman

The 1989 vintage of Château Rayas has long enjoyed legendary status as one of the greatest wines ever produced under the auspices of Jacques Reynaud, and rightly so, as this is a brilliant vintage of this iconic wine. The deep, ripe and magically complex nose wafts from the glass in a mix of raspberries, desiccated cherries, fruitcake, coffee, garrigue, a touch of chocolate, pepper, a very complex base of soil tones and a potpourri of exotic spice tones in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and rock solid at the core, with still a fair bit of youthful, jammy opulence in evidence, ripe, well-integrated tannins and stunning length and grip on the complex, still surprisingly youthful and totally stunning finish. This is still very early days for the 1989 Château Rayas, which is certainly very approachable today, but will be even better with further bottle age. I would not touch a bottle for another five to seven years (despite the wine being structurally wide open today), as I would prefer to catch this wine with the same degree of precision and perfume as is shown by vintages like 1978 or 1979 today and this wine has a long, long way to go!  (7/2013)

97 points Wine Advocate

A wine that continues to catch up to the 1990 (and probably has greater longevity) is the 1989. A dense-colored Rayas, but not as thick-looking as the 1990, this dark ruby-colored wine exhibits plenty of roasted herb notes intermixed with scents of tobacco, sweet creme de cassis, and kirsch. Full-bodied, highly-extracted, powerful, and tannic (resembling 1995 more than 1990), it is shedding its cloak of tannin and beginning to approach full maturity. (RP)  (1/2003)

Bottle Size:

750 mL

Storage History:

Always stored properly in a climate controlled cellar.

Condition:

Capsule slightly stained as shown. Possible signs of slight seepage.

Color & clarity are excellent.

Please note: The bottle shown in the photos is the exact bottle being sold.

Several photos have been taken from different angles in order to exhibit the bottle’s exact condition.