Côtes du Rhône La Pialade 2015, Emmanuel Reynaud

Name: Côtes du Rhône La Pialade 2015, Emmanuel Reynaud - Le Roux Vins
Brand: 0.75 L
SKU: VEVRLPER2015
Price: 209.00 CHF
Availability: InStock

CHF 209.00

Côtes du Rhône La Pialade 2015, Emmanuel Reynaud: The Grapes That Rayas Didn’t Want

There is a sentence Emmanuel Reynaud is said to have uttered about La Pialade — sober, laconic, typically him: “This is the wine made from the grapes that didn’t deserve to become Rayas or Fonsalette.” The “petit vin.” The modest one. And then you drink it. And you understand what that says about Rayas.

The 2015 vintage in the southern Rhône was warm, sunny and opulent — one of the most structured and expressive vintages of the decade, with perfect ripeness and a freshness that, despite the summer heat, preserved the wines’ vivacity. For La Pialade — vinified in the cellar of Château Rayas itself, from a blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah from Rayas and Fonsalette — 2015 was a vintage that brought out the best from this “little wine”: warm, fruity, caressing, immediate. A Côtes du Rhône that needs no explanation — it drinks itself.

What’s it Like?

In the glass, a pale, lightly saturated ruby with slight garnet nuances — the unmistakable Reynaud transparency, even here. The nose is delightful: candied red fruits, strawberry, raspberry, dried rose, lavender, white pepper and a delicate hint of bitter cocoa and spice. On the palate, silky, round and extraordinarily caressing — a ribbon of silk that unfolds with freshness, red fruits, bay leaf and fine spices across the palate. The tannins are fully dissolved, the acidity lively, the finish aromatic and persistent. A wine that requires no thought — a wine to be enjoyed, now, without ceremony.

Serving temperature: 15–16°C ·
Drinking window: now, at its peak — don’t wait too long

Perfect For

A relaxed dinner with no occasion required. La Pialade is the wine you open when you simply want to drink something good — with a royal couscous, a daube provençale, a grilled herb chicken, a cheese board, or simply on its own, at the table with good friends.

The Critics Agree…

La Pialade holds cult status among collectors and connoisseurs of the Reynaud universe — not for its points, but for its origin. Insiders describe it as “incredible for the price — the ‘little wine’ of Rayas, better than the selection of most others.” The perfect entry ticket into the Reynaud universe: immediately accessible yet carrying its unmistakable character.

What is it? The “little wine” of Château Rayas — made from the grapes of Rayas and Fonsalette that Emmanuel Reynaud deemed insufficient for his great wines. What that says about his great wines, one can only imagine.
From? Côtes du Rhône, Southern Rhône, France (AOC) — vinified in the cellar of Château Rayas, Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Grapes? 80% Grenache, 15% Cinsault, 5% Syrah.
Tastes Like? Candied strawberry, raspberry, dried rose, lavender, white pepper and fine spice.
Critics score? Cult status in the Reynaud universe — the most accessible gateway to the wines of Château Rayas.

1 in stock

SKU: VEVRLPER2015 Categories: 0.75 L, Cinsault, Grenache, Red Wines, Rhone, Shiraz

Côtes du Rhône La Pialade 2015, Emmanuel Reynaud

La Pialade: What Happens When Rayas Sorts

In every great estate in the world, there is a selection. A quiet but consequential decision: these barrels will become the great wine. These will not. The rejected grapes — not concentrated enough, not ripe enough, the wrong parcel in this particular year — become something else.

In most great estates, that means a second wine. At Château Rayas, it means La Pialade.

The “Rejects” of Rayas

Emmanuel Reynaud is known for making no compromises. Every grape that does not pass selection for Rayas or Fonsalette ends up in La Pialade. Not because it is bad — but because it does not meet Reynaud’s standard for those wines. The benchmark is Rayas. And those who know Rayas understand: that benchmark is absurdly high.

The result is a wine that insiders describe as the most generous secret of the southern Rhône. A Côtes du Rhône better than nine out of ten Châteauneuf-du-Papes on the market. Not because of the appellation. Not because of the terroir. But because of the hands that make it — and because those hands have already taken the best for Rayas, and still leave this behind.

Vinified in the Cellar of Rayas

This is not a detail — it is the heart of the story. La Pialade is not born in a separate cellar, not in a different facility. It is born in the mythical cellar of Château Rayas itself, with the same old foudres, the same spontaneous yeasts, the same temperature, the same care. What the wine loses is the status of the grape. What it keeps is everything else.

Spontaneous fermentation. No temperature control. Long ageing. No filtration. No fining. The result is a wine that — despite its modest appellation — carries the full Reynaud craft: transparency, freshness, floral finesse, a lightness that deceives.

A Wine for Every Evening — and for No Special Occasion

There are wines you keep. For special evenings, for grand occasions, for guests who understand. And then there are wines you simply open. Because it is Tuesday. Because dinner is ready. Because you want to drink something good without thinking about it.

La Pialade is that wine. And that is not a comment on its quality — it is a comment on its character. It is the friend in the Reynaud universe: accessible, warm, immediately understood. Where Fonsalette makes you think and Rayas leaves you speechless, La Pialade simply makes you happy.

And sometimes that is the greatest thing of all.