拉雅堡卓越的名聲是由Jacques Reynaud及其父親Louis所建立起來的。Jacques是一名才華橫溢但行事低調的真正天才，將南隆河區最老的葡萄藤所產出的少量果實巧變為隆河的第一珍釀。拉雅堡刻意與目前最摩登的釀酒潮流背道而馳。不使用不鏽鋼桶發酵、不進行溫度控制、不使用全新橡木桶、也從不聘雇科班出身的釀酒師。在Jacques 斷然力拒虛浮聲名、不趨俗流的表象之下，我們看到的是一位博覽群籍的傳統紳士對美食的獨到見解。拉雅堡毫無疑問是一款不單由釀酒技藝堆砌成的好酒，還蘊含了Reynaud家族代代相傳的人生智慧與傳統。由於產量極低，莊主惜售，因此在市面上流通的量非常少，可說是隆河的超夢幻逸品－有錢也買不到！
Drink Date:2012 - 2032
WA:94
One of the more eccentric wines in the world is the Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape white. I have bottles of the 1990 that are spectacular, and others that are completely oxidized, all from the same cases. So go figure! The 2007 looks to have enormous potential, and under the winemaking of Emmanuel Reynaud, the wine has been more consistent. It never sees a day of oak, as it is kept on the second floor of Rayas in tank prior to bottling. On paper, this wine is an equal part blend of Grenache Blanc and Clairette, although I wouldn’t be surprised if a few other grapes made it into the final blend. For decades, there have been rumors that in some remote corner of the Rayas vineyards some Chardonnay is planted, although this has never been documented or proven. This full-bodied, powerful wine offers up incredible notes of pineapple, white currants, quince, flowers, poached pear, and caramelized tangerine. It is exotic in 2007, with some shockingly good acidity, but the problem is that there is not much of it, as under 500 cases are generally made in any vintage. This wine has legendary aging potential if you’re willing to take the gamble and wait, although the 2007 is good enough to drink now. Keep your fingers crossed on its evolution, which could be positive and last as long as two to three decades.
