Sunrise over vineyard at Chateau Shuette with crates of freshly harvested grapes

About Us

Our mission is to ask “What would you make today if the AOC never existed?”

Freeing ourselves of expectations, regulations and boundaries to focus on modern vineyard management, winemaking techniques and drinking.

Occasionally we will create a wine that can be compared to a traditional Bordeaux but this decision is motivated by our love of the style and the fruit we harvested, not by our location.

My hope is that instead of making an imitation of the AOC’s vision, we can forge a new path and add to the repertoire of the region.

We took two years to find the location for Shuette. My wife and I searched all over Europe for the perfect spot. Our search was never about a country, region, or style. We wanted an estate with a working, healthy organic/biodynamic vineyard, with space to enrich the environment through regenerative farming practices.

France is one of the few places where you can still get fantastic terroir with attached farmland. Usually, great grape-growing areas have been totally consumed by monoculture vineyards. We selected the vineyard because of its attributes, not for the country, region, or classical wine styles.

Shuette is in Entre-Deux-Mers, Bordeaux, and the vineyard is in one block, directly backing onto the Dordogne River. Its 40-year-old vines have always been organic and cared for by hand (something extremely rare in Bordeaux, where barely 12% of vineyards are organic today). The wide and deep tidal river is responsible for both the fertile clay and mineral schist soil, but also the significant diurnal temperature change we experience. In summer, our vines are cooled by morning fog, extending our growing season for better maturity and acidity.

At Shuette we follow regenerative farming principles that encompass organic farming with biodynamic practices, agroforestry, wildlife preservation, and diversification. For example, we have over 250 fruit trees planted through and around the vineyard, each with its own bird box and wild border, integrating diversity into our land.

Winemaking

Zero-Zero Natural wine.

We never select a cuvée before our maturity tests start in August. For me, it’s not until you see the colour, smell the aromas, and taste the juice that you can say what that plot should become. In this way, we adapt the style of wine to the produce rather than trying to force it to be something else.

In general, we only use the free-run juice for our wine and employ no mechanical pressing. (The pressed juice - about 20% - is used to produce brandy for other projects like our Ume Shu.) We use techniques such as maceration time, oxidation, lees contact, and flor aging to support the natural fruit-forward flavour of our wines.

This creates a range of lighter, brighter, fruit forward wines than are unusual for the region. For example Solis is a dark rose that is made by de-stemming Merlot grapes and allowing the weight of the berries to press themselves.

In the cellar, we use a mixture of 500L neutral oak barrels, concrete tanks, and stainless steel to ferment and age the wines. We’ve always made natural wine, but since 2024 we have moved to a zero-zero approach and therefore do not add any sulphites, and our wines are not filtered.

I prefer longer aging than is usual for each given style and often will leave the lies in contact with the wine for the duration of the aging process.

I do this to ensure better quality and consistency to our wines. Protecting them from wine faults and adding aging potential.

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The Land

Our total production is currently about 55,000 bottles per year. Our 5 ha vineyard produces around 20,000 bottles of wine and is situated in one block next to the Dordogne River. We make an additional 35,000 bottles of wine through our négoce Shuette Renegades..

At Shuette we have a wide selection of classic Bordeaux grape varietals including Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Noir, Petit Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillion that have been organically cultivated for 30 years.

Recently we will also planted Malbec, as well as Chenin Blanc and Souvignier Gris, a disease resistant PIWI varietal.

Shuette is just 25 minutes away from central Bordeaux. Located on the banks of the Dordogne River.

A massive river that makes us what we are. Over thousands of years, the river has created a soil rich with clay and mineral schist, making the perfect foundation for growing crops. Today, the Dordogne still provides us with frost protection, a cooling breeze, summer morning fog and significant diurnal temperature changes.

Our farm is 12 ha in total. Throughout and around the whole farm and vineyard we have well over 300 fruit trees and nearly 280 bird, bat and owl boxes.

We leave at least 3 metres of wild hedgerow and borders to ensure wild animals have a stable habitat. To help ensure our larger wild visitors feel welcome we have built a wildlife corridor through the vineyard that is regularly used by deer, wild boar and rabbits.

Our inter-row planting (between the vines) is just as important, with a careful mix of nitrogen-fixing, flowering and deep rooted plants selected for the best possible ecological value.

Renegades

Our mission with Renegades is to support quality independent organic growers in Bordeaux by committing to buy their fruit, and craft zero-zero natural wines at Shuette at an accessible price point.

Helping to rebuild a piece of Bordeaux wine culture around the values of sustainability, transparency and community.

Bordeaux's winegrowing community, which had nearly 14,000 growers a generation ago, has dwindled to fewer than 5,000 today. Yet the land farmed is almost the same. These small growers are being forced out by multinationals and economic hardship. Today only circa 10% are certified organic and with a growing number of vineyards being uprooted, abandoned or converted to industrial farming the region is losing its legacy.

The shift to conventional, industrial methods threatens the entire ecosystem, as it increases reliance on pesticides and herbicides - impacting both the environment and the quality of the wine.

By partnering directly with independent, organic grape growers, Shuette will help to ensure that these dedicated artisans receive a fair price for their hard work.

Last year we found David, a gem of a grower in the hills of Pellegrue, Bordeaux with a south facing organic vineyard on limestone soil and worked with him on the vineyard cultivation, harvest and pressing before moving the must to Shuette for fermentation in our traditional concrete tanks.

Ian Hocking

Winemaker at Château Shuette.

I want to make truly modern Bordeaux wine. I am not driven by a desire to make a particular style or to replicate a previous wine. I want to match what has grown with a style that intrigues me and allows the fruit’s natural beauty to shine.

I believe that natural winemaking is the only way to unlock a wine's individuality and potential. An alive, evolving, dynamic wine is the true expression of terroir.

Ian jointly owns Château Shuette with his wife Shu Min Ho.

Shu Min Ho

Co-owner at Château Shuette.

I am a lawyer by profession and a foodie at heart.

Shuette is the realisation of a dream shared with my husband, Ian, to craft exceptional wine and produce that respect and reflect the land we call home. Our vision is also shaped by modern, forward-thinking philosophies that are inspired by the cultures and experiences we have gathered from living and traveling around the world.

Watching our vineyard and farm grow has been an incredibly exciting and fulfilling journey. I couldn’t be prouder of the wines we have created so far, and I am so thrilled to share them with all of you.