2015 Puligny-Montrachet “Les Chalumaux”Comtesse de Chérisey
France | Burgundy
$120
Producers
Full disclosure: Antoine’s a pal. One of my favorite people. Good guy, good wine. Carco is a limestone vineyard a minute from the Med. Vermentino is the grape. Pleasure is the result. This vintage is luscious with a stony core.
—Kermit Lynch
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2016 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Vermentinu |
Appellation: | Patrimonio |
Country: | France |
Region: | Corsica |
Producer: | Antoine Arena |
Winemaker: | Antoine Arena |
Vineyard: | Planted in 1987, 1 ha |
Soil: | Chalk, Clay, Limestone |
Aging: | Natural fermentation, low doses of sulfur, cement cuve, no wood; long fermentations, then wines are aged for 6 to 8 months on fine lees |
Farming: | Organic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 13% |
Antoine Arena France | Corsica | Patrimonio
Antoine Arena France | Corsica
Domaine Maestracci France | Corsica | Calvi
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica | Patrimonio
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica | Ajaccio
Yves Leccia France | Corsica | Patrimonio
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.
Yves Leccia France | Corsica | Patrimonio
Jean-Baptiste Arena France | Corsica | Vin de France
Jean-Baptiste Arena France | Corsica | Vin de France
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica | Vin de France
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica | Corse Figari
Antoine Arena France | Corsica | Patrimonio
Domaine Giudicelli France | Corsica | Patrimonio
Domaine Maestracci France | Corsica
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica | Patrimonio
Domaine Giacometti France | Corsica | Patrimonio
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
Yves Leccia France | Corsica | Patrimonio
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
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