Wow, this is such a bummer to read. I remember talking to Ray about the 1996 vintage and trying to help him secure pallets, yes pallets, of Salon, and in passing Iâd posted about a disappointing 2002 DP and Ray asked for my addressâŚa bottle of 2002 DP from his pristine European source showed up.
Very knowledgeable and friendly guy. Sad we never got to share a meal or a bottle.
Wow, what a shock. I only dined with him once, the big Coche-Dury dinner sponsored by Herwig with Keith Levenberg, Michel Abood, Paul Jaouen, Andy Raffle and other whom I unfortunately donât recall. Ray rolled in with a six pack under each arm. Generous is an understatement. May his memory be a blessing.
I was at that dinner. Sat across from Keith and next to Ray when he showed up. I remember he brought some âDr Marionâ burgundies which were quite fun to try. That was one of two great dinner memories with Ray. As others have stated, a super generous and knowledgeable man. Heâll be missed.
I never met Ray, never even communicated with him about wine (I am a Zinfandel guy, he was Champagne/Burgundy focused). But I saw his name many, many times here and even back to the old eBob days. What I know from this thread was that he was a kind, generous and funny man. We are all on the same road together.
Very sorry to hear of Rayâs passing. A great guy overall, an impressive collector, generous mentor as it related to champagne, a super pleasant client and just all around fun guy to be around. Someone you couldnât ever forget and I certainly will remember him for ever. Will be drinking some champagne in his honor.
oh shit thatâs terrible. i used to enjoy talking to him at auctions (needless to say there were always amazing wines on his table) and running into him at marea.
a super nice and generous guy who will be sorely missed
There were so many fun times with Ray. Dinners, auctions, Iron Chef, backyard golf. That Brooklyn Fare night was epic. The limo, the Holland Tunnel, the wines, the pizza at Motorino after Brooklyn Fare because we were all still hungry after eating 20 small bites over 4 hours.
Iâve somewhat hesitated to post my condolences here because I never met him and never had some of the wonderful experiences that those who came in contact with King Angry had.
That said, this is extremely sad news and I was floored at seeing it. I always loved his input and it always came across as sincerity with a desire to share his knowledge about champagne. I loved his scoring system and outlook on it all with very little pretense. The great stories shared in this thread do an amazing job showing even more of that side of him
RIP. I did not like the stories of the 12 Angry men and had very controversial discussions with some members on eBob. But Ray seemed to be a nice guy and his tone was always friendly. Something I liked very much. It is a tragedy to loose life so early. My condolences to his friends and family.
WowâŚthis is horrible news. Ray and I were in touch almost daily from 2005-2011. He was one of my most trusted wine friends and unfortunately life just took its turns and we hadnât talked in ages. He was as funny as he was sharp and a deeply caring guy.
RIP âHandsome Ray.â
Here we are in one of our few trips to Champagne in the fall of 2007.
JurgenâŚthanks for the info. It was way way back in ParkerB days and I was not sure that Ray was one of the 12 men. Guess I am getting old. 57 is way too youngâŚ
I think the nickname of Ray was King Angry and while I do not know if he was a regular member of the 12 he certainly participated not only once. But as I said, he was always a very polite person while he was a defender of the obviously over the top Lunches/Dinners posted on the old eBOB. Others were less polite. But ok â these times are long gone. All the best to you. Stay healthy.