Rié et Hirofumi Shoji

'Pedres Blanques' Rouge 2023

Rié and Hirofumi Shoji met whilst studying in Burgundy, where the couple spent years working with some of the region’s most interesting producers, including a long stint working alongside Frédéric Cossard. After several visits to the region, the two were lucky enough to find a vineyard high in the hills above the seaside town of Collioure. In Catalan, Pedres Blanques means ‘white rocks’ and the vineyard takes its name from an outcrop of granite that sits amongst the three and a half hectares of vines. There is a palpable energy to be found in this beautiful, remote place, where vines as old as fifty years grow wild over a complex mix of granite and schist. At some 350 metres above sea level, this is one of the highest sites in the region, and the elevation, along with stiff winds from the Mediterranean, lends great freshness to their wines.

Grenache from vines up to fifty years old planted over granite and schist around three hundred metres above sea level. The grapes were fermented as whole bunches for around a month, before being pressed and fed by gravity into old barrels of various sizes. A brilliant shade of ruby in the glass, this is compact and elegant, offering a gorgeous perfume of cassis, minerals and brine, and the kind of balance and poise that suggests it will age beautifully over the coming years.