Consider the world’s greatest white wines: grapes like Chardonnay, Riesling, Chenin Blanc, or Sauvignon have proven to be capable, in the right terroir and in the hands of the right vigneron, of creating pure magic. Well-vinified Marsanne on the hill of Hermitage is equally suited to yielding world-class whites, as is Pinot Gris from the sloping greens of Alsace. But what about a blend of Carcajolu Biancu, Paga Debbiti, Riminese, Rossola Brandica, Biancone, and Vermentinu?
    One must travel to the rugged granite hills inland of Ajaccio, the capital of Corsica, to find such an unusual, and, at first glance, perplexing white wine. Here, Jean-Charles Abbatucci is vinifying a piece of local history from the museum-like vineyard of heirloom Corsican varieties his father planted in the early 1960s.
    These indigenous grapes became all but extinct in an era when highly productive, ‘commercially viable’ grapevines largely replaced those that Corsicans had been farming for countless generations. In addition to salvaging this important aspect of the island’s heritage, Jean-Charles’s father also logged each cultivar in a sort of secret playbook, recording the vines’ every characteristic including appearance, vigor, disease resistance, and, crucially, olfactory qualities.
    The cuvée Général, named for an ancestor of Jean-Charles who heroically fought and died in the French Revolution, is farmed with Abbatucci’s trademark biodynamic zeal, fermented naturally, and aged in oak demi-muids. Broad-shouldered yet fine-grained, it is a resplendent translation of the herb- and flower-studded interior of the Ile de Beauté, with a sea-breeze freshness to contrast the fleshy, sun-imbued voluptuousness on the palate. More than a nod to the island’s rich history of viticulture, the Général is simply a stunning bottle of white wine, undoubtedly on par with France’s established greats.