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2016 Patrimonio Rouge “Grotte di Sole”

Jean-Baptiste Arena
Discount Eligible $46.00
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Grotte di Sole was always Antoine’s favorite parcel, and it would seem that his other son, Jean-Baptiste, feels the same way, judging by the ease with which he and his brother decided which parcels they would work. As the name implies, the vineyard is part of a large series of southerly exposed grottoes that capture the sun’s rays fully throughout most of the day. The site has produced many of the family’s finest Nielluccius. Jean-Baptiste’s 2015 effort is a serious wine of deep structure and intensity. Think classic, spirited Sangiovese with a wilder, slightly darker-fruited, herb-singed character from the ancient seaside maquis-studded limestone. This bottling will be good for many years to come.

Dixon Brooke


Technical Information
Wine Type: red
Vintage: 2016
Bottle Size: 750mL
Blend: Niellucciu
Appellation: Vin de France
Country: France
Region: Corsica
Producer: Jean-Baptiste Arena
Winemaker: Jean-Baptiste Arena
Vineyard: 60 years, 1 ha
Soil: Clay, Limestone
Farming: Organic (certified)
Alcohol: 14%

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About The Region

Corsica

map of 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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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

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