2015 Puligny-Montrachet “Les Chalumaux”Comtesse de Chérisey
France | Burgundy
$120
Producers
Lyle Railsback had the brilliant instinct to serve this wine in magnum at his wedding in Italy in August. It certainly did not seem out of place on the grounds of an ancient castello in western Piedmont at the height of summer. I am not shy about sharing my opinion with any of our Italian growers that the world’s best Vermentino is produced in Corsica. Yves Leccia’s magical limestone terroir of E Croce in the northern commune of Poggio d’Oletta produces one of the island’s and the world’s most magnificent examples. Always fresh and saline, with ample body and tuned-up aromatics, this is an aperitivo par excellence and works wonders with anything fresh from the sea as well.
—Dixon Brooke
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2018 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Vermentinu |
Appellation: | Patrimonio |
Country: | France |
Region: | Corsica |
Producer: | Yves Leccia |
Winemaker: | Yves Leccia |
Vineyard: | 20 to 50 years, 3 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone, Schist |
Aging: | Wines are aged in temperature controlled stainless steel cuves for 6 months |
Farming: | Organic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
Yves Leccia France | Corsica | I. G. P. Île de Beauté
Yves Leccia France | Corsica | Patrimonio
Yves Leccia France | Corsica | Patrimonio
Yves Leccia France | Corsica | Patrimonio
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica | Patrimonio
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica | Vin de Corse
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.
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica | Vin de France
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica | Île de Beauté
Jean-Baptiste Arena France | Corsica | Vin de France
Yves Leccia France | Corsica | I. G. P. Île de Beauté
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica | Patrimonio
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica | Vin de France
Domaine Giacometti France | Corsica | Patrimonio
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica | Vin de France
Yves Leccia France | Corsica | Patrimonio
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica | Vin de France
For the wines that I buy I insist that the winemaker leave them whole, intact. I go into the cellars now and select specific barrels or cuvées, and I request that they be bottled without stripping them with filters or other devices. This means that many of our wines will arrive with a smudge of sediment and will throw a more important deposit as time goes by, It also means the wine will taste better.
Drinking distilled spirits, beer, coolers, wine and other alcoholic beverages may increase cancer risk, and, during pregnancy, can cause birth defects. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/alcohol
Many food and beverage cans have linings containing bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical known to cause harm to the female reproductive system. Jar lids and bottle caps may also contain BPA. You can be exposed to BPA when you consume foods or beverages packaged in these containers. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/bpa