Wines
RayLen Vineyards & Winery features 16 award-winning wines available for tasting and purchase.
Pinot Grigio
Chardonnay
Barrel Chardonnay
The Barrel Chardonnay is RayLen's best-selling white wine. It is a barrel-fermented wine with subtle pear and green apple with hints of mineral and herbal flavors on the nose. On the palate, the Barrel Chardonnay is perfection: Toasty oak, creamy textures, and warm vanilla. Pairs well with a lobster dinner on your birthday. Buy Now!
Viognier
This rare French Rhone grape is used in California mostly as a blending grape to bring out the floral tones of a Chardonnay. It does so well in North Carolina that it is produced as a stand-alone. Fruit-forward with peaches, apricots, and candied lemon makes the finish on this Viognier exotic and elegant. Pairs well with a sunset on a beach-front restaurant and fresh tuna steak. Buy Now!
South Mountain’s Vineyard Chardonnay
Located on the South Mountains in Burke County, North Carolina, this vineyard's prime location offers higher elevation, cooler mornings and evenings that ripen this Chardonnay to perfection. This Reserve wine is aged in French oak and has creamy, buttery aromas that are delightfully followed by a soft vanilla and oak flavor and is a popular white among red-wine drinkers. Pairs well with a thick, cream-based pasta and a table full of friends. Buy Now!
Yadkin Gold
A semi-sweet proprietor’s blend of Riesling, Viognier, Chardonnay, and Pinot Grigio make this an easy-drinking wine. Selected by Southern Living and USA Today as RayLen’s best white wine, the Yadkin Gold has an explosion of pineapple and melon on the palate. Pairs well with your sweetie and a picnic at RayLen’s pond. Buy Now!
Riesling
Quite unlike the Riesling you're used to drinking, this is a semi-sweet wine with a bomb of honeysuckle dancing on your palate and a crisp, bright finish. A tough grape to grow in the South because of its delicate flowers, Riesling is in limited production. Pairs well with an open mind and spicy Thai food. Buy Now!
Carolinius
Shiraz
Merlot
Cabernet Franc
Catergory 5
Eagle's Select
Cabernet Sauvignon
Pale Red
Sparkling Brut**
A blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Muscat Canelli, this Sparkling wine is a new favorite at RayLen. Notes of strawberry, honey, and raspberry on the nose and good acidity and balance on the palate make the Sparking a perfect compliment to oysters, berries ala crème, and brie. Pairs well with the everyday celebration of life.
** This wine is not available for shipping
2010 Vintage
Steve Shepard, a pioneer in North Carolina's wine industry had this to say about the 2010 harvest:
"In all my vintages here in North Carolina, which has been over 20, the 2010 harvest has exceeded 2000, 2002, 2005, and 2007 by far."
With more than 50 days recorded over 90° F, this hot, dry summer brought on the opportunity to ripen off this spectacular harvest.
The beautiful dry September with low humidity, coupled with warm days and cool nights, extended our hang time opportunities by over three weeks. For the first time ever, we've extended our harvest into the fall.
The Cabernet Sauvignon remained on the vines until the middle of October, soaking up the sun during the unusually warm days and pleasantly cool evenings.
We look forward to offering this wonderful vintage in the next couple years.
The Case Club
When you purchase a case of wine (12 bottles), you get all kinds of great benefits! You immediately receive a 10% discount on your first case purchase and then a 15% discount on all future case purchases. You receive free admission to all of RayLen's on-site festivals AND a 20% discount on your case purchases. Membership is good for one year and can be renewed by simply buying wine!
Category 5
Although RayLen has a fine array of 16 different wines, there is one that nearly every guest asks for: Category 5. A powerful Bordeaux blend named after the biggest hurricane, this proprietor’s blend won “Best in Show” in the Mid-Atlantic Wine Competition for the 2005 vintage. Stop by and taste why Southern Living listed the Category 5 in their Holiday Gift Guide (November 2008).