Baby Rayas
Some bottles find you. I wasn’t on the hunt for anything rare, just sipping through a Châteauneuf-du-Pape tasting at Le Pont when Graham the kind of wine guy you trust with your cellar and your secrets pulled me aside. He’d just picked up a single bottles of Château des Tours Vacqueyras 2019.
James Suckling with a bottle of Chateau Rayas
For context: this wine has a cult following. Made by Emmanuel Reynaud, the same enigmatic genius behind Château Rayas, it’s often called baby Rayas, a tongue-in-cheek nickname that only half captures the story. It shares Rayas’ elegance, fruit purity, and complexity but at a (relatively) saner price. Still, at $250 AUD, it’s no casual Tuesday night bottle. If you can even find it, i’ve come across two in my life.
What’s the Big Deal?
Reynaud’s Vacqueyras isn’t just “good for the price.” It’s straight up gorgeous. The last one I had was a 2011, opened in 2020, and it was frankly exceptional, layered, deep, but so drinkable it disappeared far too quickly.
The 2019 vintage is shaping up to be a great one across the Southern Rhône warm, ripe, but balanced by freshness. I haven’t opened this one yet (it deserves a moment), but if it's anything like the 2011, I expect strawberries, cherries, and a little leather, wrapped in a silky, jammy texture that never gets flabby. These wines are famously age-worthy. A decade in bottle helps them unfold into something truly special—fruit-forward at first, then teasing out those lovely tertiary notes that only time can coax.
The Brouilly Confusion
You might’ve seen another bottle with the Château des Tours label—there’s a Brouilly that floats around more frequently for about $50 AUD. It’s a lovely Gamay, a regular in our household rotation, but it’s not the same thing. Less depth, less structure, though with some shared DNA in flavor. Think Beaujolais versus Southern Rhône. It’s a different conversation.
Should You Chase It?
Honestly, if you see a bottle of Château des Tours Vacqueyras and it doesn’t cost a kidney, buy it. Don’t overthink it. These are collector wines for people who drink their collections. They’re elegant, complex, and a little magical—but not in that intimidating, sommelier-speak kind of way. You don’t need a degree to enjoy it.
And here's the real tip: build relationships. Graham at Le Pont has connected me with both bottles I’ve ever had. A good wine store owner who gets your taste can open doors you didn’t even know existed.
I’m cellaring the 2019 for something special. And maybe one day, I’ll get to try Château Rayas itself. Until then, this bottle feels pretty close to a dream.