2019 Pedres Blanques (Rie et Hirofumi Shoji)

Rié and Hiro are Japanese but they met at the wine school in Beaune. She went on to work for Fred Mugnier, among others; he, for five years at Domaine de Chassorney. They are passionate about vineyard work. So, when it came time to make their own wine, they had to look outside Burgundy for affordable vineyards. They tried with no luck in the north. Eventually, they found Collioure, and a retiring vigneron who sold them his vines.

The name of their domaine is Pedres Blanques, “White Rocks” in Catalan. In Collioure, the vines are “on” the sea. With their incredible steepness and thousands of terraces, they are some the most spectacular French vineyards we have seen. Rié and Hiro’s 3.5 hectares are in the most remote part of the appellation and at the top of the world. The view is stunning, the energy is amazing, but the climate often violent. The Tramontane wind is fierce and the place is arid. There is a flip side: no frost and almost no disease. Because of this, Rié and Hiro farm organically and do not need to use copper. The couple’s first wine is a Grenache grown on schist. It is vinified and aged in Banyuls in a facility they share with 9 other winemakers.