Domaine de la Rectorie, Collioure Blanc Côté Mer 2025

On the Vermeille Coast, where the Pyrenees plunge into the Mediterranean, Domaine de la Rectorie is one of Roussillon’s finest addresses. Based in Banyuls-sur-Mer, the Parcé family long sold their grapes to the local cooperative, until brothers Marc and Thierry decided in 1984 to bottle their own wine. Today, they cultivate some thirty parcels spread across the schist hillsides overlooking the sea, from the water's edge to an altitude of nearly 400 meters. Each parcel has its own exposure, altitude, and character, and these old, low-yield vines produce concentrated grapes marked by both the Catalan sun and the sea air. Their Collioure Blanc "Côté Mer" is primarily a Grenache Gris wine—the iconic grape variety of the Vermeille Coast—complemented by a hint of Grenache Blanc. Harvested by hand, it is fermented in barrels and then aged for about eight months on its lees, which are stirred regularly (bâtonnage) to give the wine volume and texture. On the nose, it blends citrus, yellow fruits, and white flowers with an iodine touch reminiscent of sea spray. The palate is full and generous without losing its freshness, stretching into a saline, persistent finish that is highly characteristic of seaside schist-grown whites.