Rayas. Only five letters, while the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, in the heart of which it is located, has 17. Rayas, a castle which does not have the allure of a castle, but which undoubtedly remains the epicenter, the spiritual and physical heart, not to say the metaphysical heart of this southern appellation of just over 3000 hectares. Finally, Rayas is, in my opinion, the archetype of the well-born cru, on its sandy subsoils sitting on a bench of Miocene molasse, but above all, above all, the undisputed consecration of the great Grenache Noir in terms of its ultimate finesse. A wine of great sap, both silently textured and firmly linked, from the breed of the best Burgundies because of the quartet of emotion-elegance-longevity-power.
Almost 30 years ago (June 1992), I met Jacques Reynaud there, who died suddenly five years later – his nephew Emmanuel then taking over the reins of the three estates, including Fonsalette and Tours -, during a meeting that just preceded that obtained with the immense Henri Bonneau of the eponymous domain. Suffice to say that that day was blessed by the gods, when I was allowed to taste, among other things, the exceptional 1990 vintage from the three estates belonging to the Reynaud family. I’m telling you all this because the very recent tasting of a Rayas 1998 at its peak once again completely capsized me. His reputation is not overrated. I barely get up from it.
There is obviously not only Rayas in this appellation, rich in its five municipalities and its 280 wineries. Beaucastel, Beaurenard, Pegau, Usseglio, Daumen, Vieux Télégraphe, Caillou, Sabon, Clos des Papes, Fortia and others Domaine de Nalys, to name a few, reveal a mosaic of terroirs including sands, safres, limestones , marls, clays and rolled pebbles combined with the 13 authorized grape varieties multiply styles to infinity. The only snag, however, is that whites only account for a tiny 7% of production. A misery, because they are amazing!
This is not the case at Château La Nerthe, whose whites account for 15% of the volume, or the equivalent of 30,000 bottles. Its ambassador, Christophe Bristiel, a native of the country but especially of La Nerthe, where his father officiated before him, was passing by recently with some superb cuvées under his arm. The Châteauneuvois had a verve of hell, with this well-felt passion of a man who savored his chance to participate in the success of this domain bought in 1985 by the Richard family (Richard cafes) in the wake of a certain Commander Joseph Ducos, who, from 1870, replanted the vineyard on rootstocks resistant to phylloxera.
With its 92 hectares (one third of which is planted), 57 plots, 13 grape varieties and 4 types of soil, but above all the resources deployed by the Richard Group, La Nerthe, but also the Côtes-du-Rhône Les Cassagnes de La Nerthe located to the north (70 hectares on the Massif d’Uchaux), are pampered down to the smallest detail, including that of being certified organic since 1998. Modern and important facilities that have nothing to do with a Rayas or a Fonsalette, certainly, but who all the same share this kind of civility in the measure, this courteous approach in the tone which never tires the palate. Gourmet wines.
Due to recent disturbances at the SAQ, several wines, including those from La Nerthe, are currently “aging” in the monopoly warehouses. To watch, the next shelving, therefore. Note, in white, this plot Clos de Beauvenir (★★★★) with the roussanne fermented for third in cask, a silky and deep white, and the Cuvée des Cadettes (superb 2016 – ★★★★ 1/2) in red from old vines of Grenache Noir, Syrah and Mourvèdre. For the rest, The Cassagnes de la Nerthe Blanc 2019 (future), generous, precise, dry white, nicely stretched but also with good volume due to work on fine lees for a few months. Apple, pear, lemon and honey are told in a lively and elegant whole (5) ★★★; Châteauneuf-du-Pape White 2019 ($ 58.75 – 10224471) fermented in barrels, smooth, lively, toasted and vanilla (5+) © ★★★ 1/2; Les Cassagnes de la Nerthe Rouge 2018 ($ 27.05 – 13992854) with a lively, energetic profile, crunchy under the fruity (5+) © ★★★; Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red 2016 ($ 58.50 – 917732) already supple and fine in texture, elegant, very distinguished. (5) © ★★★★