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2016 Patrimonio Rouge “Carco”
Antoine-Marie Arena
A commanding hillside strewn with big stones and marine fossils, Carco is one of Patrimonio’s great vineyard sites. The 2016 vintage produced dark, concentrated wines with focused acidity and chewy tannins that have begun to melt together in the years since release. With an almost bloody quality comparable to the juices from the first cut into a thick ribeye, this just begs for red meat—give it a try next time in the place of your favorite Tuscan or Provençal red.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2016 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Niellucciu |
Appellation: | Patrimonio |
Country: | France |
Region: | Corsica |
Producer: | Antoine-Marie Arena |
Vineyard: | 2 ha, planted in 1987 |
Soil: | Limestone, chalk, clay |
Farming: | Organic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 13% |
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About The Producer
Antoine-Marie 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.
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Kermit once said...

Kermit once said...
Great winemakers, great terroirs, there is never any hurry. And I no longer buy into this idea of “peak” maturity. Great winemakers, great terroirs, their wines offer different pleasures at different ages.
Inspiring Thirst, page 312