Notify me
2015 Patrimonio Rosé
Antoine ArenaImagine, what if you were Corsican with a Roman name like Arena, and every move you made was controlled by French bureaucrats? Yikes, no, you wouldn’t dig it.
Speaking of Arena... I’m not sure why, but Antoine Arena’s 2015 rosé comes to mind. Antoine is the one who first showed the world how great Corsican wine can be. I tasted with him and his two sons this summer, and their rosé caught me by surprise, because they did everything right in the making of it, according to me. I’m sure you’ll see how different it is from the technological Provençal rosés that are so hip these days. For those interested: native yeasts, malo completed, gently bottled without filtration. Wow! Nor was it hurried into bottle to meet some arbitrary, springtime Rosé “Nouveau” release date.
Taste it alongside almost any Côtes-de-Provence rosé—it’s like comparing real wine with pink lace panties.
Antoine himself is so genuine, he is a favorite of everybody in the wine biz who has had the luck to spend time with him. He and his sons work together and sell the results under three separate Arena labels: Antoine, Jean-Baptiste, and Antoine-Marie. Please don’t ask me why. I asked them and ended up more puzzled than I had been. Just know that, yes, when you uncork one of their wines—this rosé, for example—you are in for an honest wine and a real treat. –Kermit Lynch
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2015 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 80% Niellucciu, 20% Vermentinu |
Appellation: | Patrimonio |
Country: | France |
Region: | Corsica |
Producer: | Antoine Arena |
Winemaker: | Antoine Arena |
Vineyard: | .5 ha |
Soil: | Chalk, Clay, Limestone |
Farming: | Organic |
Alcohol: | 12.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
2019 Patrimonio Rouge “Morta Maio”
France | Corsica
A vibrant tonic akin to a savory brew of muddled stone, wild herbs, and salty sea air.
2021 Patrimonio Rouge “E Croce”
France | Corsica
Leccia's earthy, delicious island-mountain wine is fun, accessible and pairs with anything from fish stew to pasta to lounging in the park.
2018 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.
2016 Muscat du Cap Corse
France | Corsica
Ravishing perfume of miel du maquis, wildflowers, and resinous herbs.
2022 Île de Beauté Rosé “E Croce”
France | Corsica
A Niellucciu-based rosé that is so fresh, pure, and invigorating, while delivering a healthy dose of Mediterranean brine.
2019 Vin de France Rouge “Costa Nera”
France | Corsica
A grandiose monument to the power of Corsica’s heirloom grapes.
2022 Vin de France Rouge “Faustine”
France | Corsica
This versatile and refined Corsican blend is my favorite wine to take to dinner. It’s always dressed to impress and pairs well with all kinds of fare.
2017 Patrimonio Rosé
France | Corsica
Just when I think I’ve seen it all, this wine comes along and surprises me! It’s not a typical rosé, nor is it a typical light red wine. Instead, it occupies a wonderful space between the two!
2019 Vin de France Blanc “Diplomate d’Empire”
France | Corsica
Rich, exotic, and appealing—a monument to the grandeur of the forgotten Corsican varietals.
About The Producer
Antoine 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 Patrimonio Blanc
Domaine Giudicelli France | Corsica
2022 Vin de Corse “Le Rosé de Pauline”
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica
2019 Muscat du Cap Corse “Grotte di Sole”
Jean-Baptiste Arena France | Corsica
2022 Corse Calvi Blanc “Les Marottes d’Anaïs”
Domaine Maestracci France | Corsica
2016 Vin de France Blanc “Général de la Révolution”
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica
2020 Vin de France Rouge “Sempre Azezzu”
Domaine Giacometti France | Corsica
2018 Patrimonio Rouge
Domaine Giudicelli France | Corsica
2021 Corse Figari Blanc “Amphora”
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2021 Patrimonio Rouge “Carco”
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
2021 Corse Figari Blanc
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2021 Corse Calvi Rouge “E Signurine”
Domaine Maestracci France | Corsica
2023 Vin de Corse “Blanc de Marquilliani”
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica
2021 Patrimonio Blanc
Domaine Giudicelli France | Corsica
2022 Vin de Corse “Le Rosé de Pauline”
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica
2019 Muscat du Cap Corse “Grotte di Sole”
Jean-Baptiste Arena France | Corsica
2022 Corse Calvi Blanc “Les Marottes d’Anaïs”
Domaine Maestracci France | Corsica
2016 Vin de France Blanc “Général de la Révolution”
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica
2020 Vin de France Rouge “Sempre Azezzu”
Domaine Giacometti France | Corsica
2018 Patrimonio Rouge
Domaine Giudicelli France | Corsica
2021 Corse Figari Blanc “Amphora”
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2021 Patrimonio Rouge “Carco”
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
2021 Corse Figari Blanc
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2021 Corse Calvi Rouge “E Signurine”
Domaine Maestracci France | Corsica
2023 Vin de Corse “Blanc de Marquilliani”
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica
Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
When buying red Burgundy, I think we should remember:
1. Big wines do not age better than light wine.
2. A so-called great vintage at the outset does not guarantee a great vintage for the duration.
3. A so-called off vintage at the outset does not mean the wines do not have a brilliant future ahead of them.
4. Red Burgundy should not taste like Guigal Côte-Rôtie, even if most wine writers wish it would.
5. Don’t follow leaders; watch yer parking meters.
Inspiring Thirst, page 174