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2016 Costa Nera

Clos Canarelli
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The term riacquistu refers to a Corsican national pride movement that originated in the 1970s, encompassing factions as diverse as a renewed emphasis on the Corsican language, the creation of militant nationalist groups, and the return of Corsican emigrants to their homeland. It marked a turning point not just in Corsican culture but also in Corsican wine, as vignerons began to show a newfound appreciation for the island’s terroirs and native grape varieties.
     Yves Canarelli’s Costa Nera, one of the only bottlings of pure Carcaghjolu Neru, could be considered a direct descendant of this island-wide reckoning. This nearly extinct heirloom cépage creates a deeply colored, stately red intensely perfumed of graphite, menthol, spices, and iron. Regally structured with a backbone of densely packed, yet incredibly silky tannins, this rare red stands level with top bottlings from Cornas, Bandol, and southern Italy.

Anthony Lynch

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Technical Information
Wine Type: red
Vintage: 2016
Bottle Size: 750mL
Blend: Carcaghjolu Neru
Country: France
Region: Corsica
Producer: Clos Canarelli
Vineyard: 1 ha, Planted in 2007
Soil: Granite
Farming: Biodynamic (certified)
Alcohol: 13%

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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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Old wine bottles

Let the brett nerds retire into protective bubbles, and whenever they thirst for wine it can be passed in to them through a sterile filter. Those of us on the outside can continue to enjoy complex, natural, living wines.

Inspiring Thirst, page 236

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