La Pialade

History of La Pialade

The story of La Pialade is part of the Reynaud family's history at Château Rayas, which began in 1880 when Albert Reynaud, a former notary, acquired a property at this site in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. His son Louis developed bottling at the estate and expanded the family holdings with Château de Fonsalette in Lagarde-Paréol after World War II. From then on, the wines of Rayas and Fonsalette were made under the same roof, an arrangement that made a cuvée combining fruit from both properties possible.

Under Jacques Reynaud, from 1978 to 1997, and then his nephew Emmanuel, La Pialade became the cuvée for lots not selected for the family's top wines: fruit from young vines and tanks deemed less accomplished. The rigorous selection behind Rayas's greatness thus benefits La Pialade, with vintages dating back to at least the early 1990s. Since Emmanuel Reynaud's death in November 2025, his sons Benoît and Louis-Damien have carried on this family tradition.

Terroirs and Vines of La Pialade

La Pialade draws on two complementary terroirs. In Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the Rayas and Pignan vines grow on fine, poor sands amid pine woods, with north-facing exposures that preserve the grapes' freshness. In Lagarde-Paréol, in the Massif d'Uchaux area, the Fonsalette plots lie on sands mixed with red clay and limestone gravel, which bring greater structure and depth.

Grenache Noir makes up most of the blend, joined by Cinsault for fragrance and delicacy and a touch of Syrah for spice and structure. Fruit from the young vines of the different properties naturally finds a place in this wine before moving into the more prestigious cuvées once the vines mature. Yields remain low, and harvesting takes place at full ripeness.

Winemaking for La Pialade

La Pialade is vinified and aged in the Château Rayas cellars, following the same principles as the estate's top wines. The grapes ferment with native yeasts in concrete tanks, mostly as whole clusters, with very light extraction designed to preserve the fruit's brightness and the tannins' silkiness. The final blend varies each year according to the lots available, giving every vintage its own character.

The wine then ages in old large oak casks and tanks, without any new oak, before being bottled without embellishment. This minimalist approach, handed down through generations, gives La Pialade the fine texture and aromatic purity that clearly distinguish it from conventional Côtes-du-Rhône wines.

The La Pialade Cuvée

La Pialade, red Côtes-du-Rhône: a blend of around 80% Grenache, 15% Cinsault and 5% Syrah, this cuvée has a luminous ruby color, often pale in keeping with the house style. The highly expressive nose combines ripe, jammy red fruit, cherry, pomegranate, dried flowers and pepper, with touches of garrigue and sweet spice. Generous yet refined on the palate, it has lively acidity, fine tannins and a persistent finish with spicy accents.

More approachable in its youth than Rayas or Pignan, La Pialade offers early pleasure while also having real aging potential: the best vintages develop favorably for around fifteen years, gaining notes of forest floor, leather and dried fruit. It is best served between 16 and 18°C, with young wines given a few hours in a decanter to breathe.