R. Parker (96/100)
The white 2023 Pedra de Guix ("guix" is the Catalan word for "gypsum") has a more oxidative profile than the more reductive Terra de Cuques. It's a blend of old varieties, equal parts of Pedro Ximenez and Macabeo and 40% Garnacha Blanca on slate and clay soils, whose clusters fermented in concrete for three days, then the wine matured in concrete for eight months. The steep slopes give concentrated juice, which in 2023, reached 13% alcohol and kept a pH of 3.38. It has a bright color and a shy nose and is by far the most closed and undeveloped of the whites, clearly more reductive, with an absence of fruit and echoes of wet stones, with a fine-grained palate, chalky and finishing dry. It should develop more complexity in bottle. It can be drunk now, but that would be a bit of a shame because it will improve. 3,850 bottles produced.
James Suckling (95/100)
This opens with aromas of musk, crusted sea salt, dried pineapple, bruised apples and a touch of walnuts. Medium- to full-bodied, the palate is saline and restrained, offering nutty complexity that unfolds with subtle tension. The finish is pithy, austere and marked by persistent, attractive salinity. A blend of grenache blanc from Poboleda, pedro ximenez from Lloar (which undergoes controlled oxidative aging) and macabeo from Torroja.
Guía Peñin (95/100)