feature / genius loci / Château Rayas


THE SINGULARITY OF CHÂTEAU RAYAS


From the sandy terroir, to the ethereal style of Grenache, the Châteauneuf-du- Pape estate is unlike any other in the appellation, says William Kelley


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any of France’s greatest wines exemplify their appellations, but some transcend them. Nestled in one of the cooler corners of a warm, sun-kissed region; defined by sandy soils in a sector known for its heat-retentive glacial


cobbles; and planted with a single grape variety, Grenache Noir, when the local vignerons have the right to blend fully 13, Château Rayas clearly numbers among the exceptions. Pouring a glass only confirms this; where so many of its neighbors are dark and brooding, Rayas is pale and limpid, ethereal and perfumed; powerful, yes, but sensual, too. Indeed, I’ve often thought that Rayas really deserves an appellation all to itself.


The reasons for Rayas’s singularity are manifold. Foremost, of course, is the place itself, and anyone who manages to secure an appointment at this elusive address is warmly advised to skip the tasting and beg for a vineyard tour instead. For though a mere six-minute drive from the village of Châteauneuf-du- Pape, Rayas feels a world away, secluded amid cool, evergreen woodland in the northeast of the appellation; an oasis of flora and fauna in a region that is devoted more and more exclusively to monoculture. Here there are none of the famous galets roulés, the large


cobbles that pave the plateau of Le Crau; instead the vines are rooted in a topsoil of fine sand and silt; underneath is a


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