Corsica
by Chris Santini
2021 Patrimonio Blanc “E Croce”
France | Corsica
Year in and year out, the vintner’s signature on this cuvée is its salty sea-breeze finish. It’s that finish that makes most great “island wines” so alluring in the first place. When you add to this some notes of exotic fruit and a round mouthfeel, you’ve got the special sauce that is Patrimonio blanc at its finest: fresh, full, and floral all at once.
2021 Vin de France Rosé “Faustine”
France | Corsica
Jean-Charles Abbatucci has shown time and time again he is a man of determination and resilience. Having taken over the domaine much earlier than planned, due to the untimely passing of his father (who did not have the opportunity to pass along his savoir faire), Jean-Charles learned from his missteps, listened to his vines and land, and came to soar on his own. New challenges now abound, notably a fire last year that tore through his winery, destroying a good part of it and many wines. After spending the night battling flames, Jean-Charles the next day was heartbroken by the devastation but already moving and mapping a path out of the mess. Refrigerated trucks were parked in the ruins, work began immediately to salvage parts of the winery that could still be used, and the 2021 vintage was miraculously vinified on the heels of the fire. You’d never know it tasting the vintage, as this rosé is one of his best ever—lovely and pure, with a filtered-over-granite finish. A wine, a vintage, a vigneron, all of determination and resilience.
2018 Corse Calvi Rouge “E Prove”
France | Corsica
A timeless favorite that somehow keeps getting more delicious each release. Only grapes from the estate’s oldest vines—all from the E Prove plateau—find their way into this cuvée. A slow fermentation is followed by more than a year in cask and another in bottle before this rouge hits the seas for our shores. The long process tames the meaty and chewy tannins, opens the structure, and removes any hard edges, letting loads of red fruit and maquis shine.
More from the November 2024 Newsletter
