Notify me
2013 Vin de France Blanc “Grotte di Sole”
Antoine ArenaThe chalky minerality, the salt sea, the bitter tinge of ripe Rolle grapes—you combine that with fish soup or fish stew and you will revel in the result. Another way to go would be to serve a charcuterie platter.
Here is the dramatic site, the beautiful vintage, the grape variety, bottled. Don’t miss it. This is masterful.
—Kermit Lynch
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2013 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Vermentinu |
Appellation: | Vin de France |
Country: | France |
Region: | Corsica |
Producer: | Jean-Baptiste Arena |
Winemaker: | Antoine Arena |
Vineyard: | 60 years, 1 ha |
Soil: | Clay, limestone |
Aging: | Ages for 1 year |
Farming: | Organic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 14% |
More from this Producer or Region
2021 Vin de France Blanc “Morta Maio”
France | Corsica
Lightly golden in color, it conjures up a day spent in the sun: seabreezes and ripe honeydew, including its subtle, savory rind.
2016 Vin de France Blanc “B.G.”
France | Corsica
There is something exotic here, something herbal, quite serious with great tension.
2022 Vin de France Rouge “Grotte di Sole”
France | Corsica
A full-throttle Niellucciu from a sun-soaked limestone vineyard in Patrimonio.
2019 Muscat du Cap Corse “Grotte di Sole”
France | Corsica
See why Cap Corse's famous Muscat tastes like no other dessert wine in the world.
2021 Patrimonio Rouge “Grotte di Sole”
France | Corsica
Think classic, spirited Sangiovese with a wilder, slightly darker-fruited, herb-singed character from the ancient seaside maquis-studded limestone.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil “Ghjermana”
France | Corsica
In between the spicier “Sauvage” and softer “Douce.”
2022 Patrimonio Blanc “Grotte di Sole”
France | Corsica
Golden ripe Vermentinu berries are responsible for this fleshy, succulent dry white.
2019 Patrimonio Rouge
France | Corsica
Muriel Giudicelli’s Patrimonio rouge is elegant, deep, bursting with ripe black fruits, silky smooth, and offering great length.
2021 Île de Beauté Biancu Gentile “L’Altru Biancu”
France | Corsica
It is the up-and-coming white Corsican grape, rapidly winning back the reputation it had earned so long ago.
2021 Vin de France Blanc “B.G.”
France | Corsica
A beautiful example of Biancu Gentile, an heirloom white grape revived from near-extinction by Arena in the 1990s.
About The Producer
Jean-Baptiste Arena
About The Region
Corsica
I first set foot on the island in 1980. I remember looking down from the airplane window seeing alpine forest and lakes and thinking, uh oh, I got on the wrong plane. Then suddenly I was looking down into the beautiful waters of the Mediterranean. Corsica is a small, impossibly tall island, the tail of the Alp chain rising out of the blue sea.—Kermit Lynch
Kermit’s first trip to the island proved fruitful, with his discovery of Clos Nicrosi’s Vermentino. More than thirty years later, the love affair with Corsica has only grown as we now import wines from ten domaines that cover the north, south, east, and west of what the French affectionately refer to as l’Île de Beauté.
Corsica is currently experiencing somewhat of a renaissance—interest has never been higher in the wines and much of this is due to growers focusing on indigenous and historical grapes found on the island. Niellucciu, Sciarcarellu, and Vermentinu are widely planted but it is now common to find bottlings of Biancu Gentile and Carcaghjolu Neru as well as blends with native varieties like Rossola Bianca, Minustellu, or Montaneccia.
As Kermit described above, Corsica has a strikingly mountainous landscape. The granite peaks top out above 9,000 feet. The terroir is predominantly granite with the exception of the Patrimonio appellation in the north, which has limestone, clay, and schist soils.The wines, much like their southern French counterparts make for great pairings with the local charcuterie, often made from Nustrale, the native wild boar, as well as Brocciu, the Corsican goats milk cheese that is best served within 48 hours of it being made.
More from Corsica or France
2021 Corse Figari Blanc “Amphora”
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2019 Muscat du Cap Corse “Grotte di Sole”
Jean-Baptiste Arena France | Corsica
2022 Île de Beauté Rosé “E Croce”
Yves Leccia France | Corsica
2018 Île de Beauté Rouge “O Bà”
Yves Leccia France | Corsica
2023 Corse Figari Blanc
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2019 Vin de France Muscatellu “Morta Maió” Non Muté
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
2021 Patrimonio Blanc
Domaine Giudicelli France | Corsica
2022 Corse Calvi Rouge “Les Marottes d’Anaïs”
Domaine Maestracci France | Corsica
2023 Vin de France Rouge “Faustine”
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica
2016 Vin de France Blanc “Général de la Révolution”
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica
2017 Patrimonio Rosé
Antoine Arena France | Corsica
2021 Vin de France Blanc “Morta Maio”
Jean-Baptiste Arena France | Corsica
2021 Corse Figari Blanc “Amphora”
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2019 Muscat du Cap Corse “Grotte di Sole”
Jean-Baptiste Arena France | Corsica
2022 Île de Beauté Rosé “E Croce”
Yves Leccia France | Corsica
2018 Île de Beauté Rouge “O Bà”
Yves Leccia France | Corsica
2023 Corse Figari Blanc
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2019 Vin de France Muscatellu “Morta Maió” Non Muté
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
2021 Patrimonio Blanc
Domaine Giudicelli France | Corsica
2022 Corse Calvi Rouge “Les Marottes d’Anaïs”
Domaine Maestracci France | Corsica
2023 Vin de France Rouge “Faustine”
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica
2016 Vin de France Blanc “Général de la Révolution”
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica
2017 Patrimonio Rosé
Antoine Arena France | Corsica
2021 Vin de France Blanc “Morta Maio”
Jean-Baptiste Arena France | Corsica
Where the newsletter started
Where the newsletter started
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch