Patrimonio Blanc & Rouge
by Jane Augustine
2021 Patrimonio Rouge “Grotte di Sole”
France | Corsica
If a northern Corsican cuvée named for a sunny grotto doesn’t pique your curiosity, perhaps a bit of background on the lieu-dit might. Niellucciu grows here on decomposed limestone with whole fossils in the soil, basking in the warmth of a full sun. Made by the weathered hands of a born-and-bred Corsican farmer, in the most wild and glorious setting, it’s a wine from a parcel that offers density and chew in the glass. Brooding with black pepper and anise, this is your pairing for whole sausages grilled in a giant coil, a fennel gratin, or any other classic meat-and-potato entrée to stick to your ribs as the weather cools down.
2022 Patrimonio Blanc
France | Corsica
Vermentinu has been growing on the island of Corsica long before some of the other local red varieties like Niellucciu and Sciaccarellu, and many believe it shares its origin with Malvasia. Giudicelli’s Patrimonio blanc makes a case for this connection, with its aromatic nose hinting at guava and citrus seed. It’s bracingly electric and lively, tart and fragrant, with obvious oyster-shell minerality. It’s my favorite Vermentinu from the island, made with such a natural touch and soulful hand; if there were one blanc to discover from Corsica, this would be it.
2021 Patrimonio Rouge “E Croce”
France | Corsica
Sandrine and Yves Leccia have harnessed the savory side of their “E Croce” plateau with this vintage; less emphasis on fruit and berry and instead, whiffs of smoke, earth, and warm maquis. In Corsican, niel means “black,” and ucciu is an endearing way to indicate something small. The Niellucciu variety is therefore “the little black one,” an apt translation for its dark, tightly coiled clusters that offer concentration and terroir in spades. Organically grown, just two miles from the Mediterranean, Leccia’s rouge has never made me more inspired to eat something cooked from nose-to-nail, with crackly skin on a rustic baguette, perhaps.
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