Notify me
2018 Vin de France Blanc “Tarra di Sognu”
Clos CanarelliIf you ever make it to Corsica, don’t miss Bonifacio. The small town is perched up on a limestone cliff, which dangles over the sea. It looks like it could just chip off and splash in at any moment. When you visit, you may notice things feel a little different here than in the rest of Corsica. The architecture is unique, and the local dialect, bonifacien, is spoken only here, and only by a hundred or so people, given that for centuries the town was cloistered behind tall walls and cut off from the rest of the island. The ground here is different, too. Corsica is often called “the granite rock,” yet in Bonifacio we are on pure limestone. This biancu—chiseled, precise, floral, and salty—is the work of twenty-plus years of patience and planning by Canarelli to replant native grapes where the town’s vineyards had lain fallow for more than a century. Truly the land of Canarelli’s dreams, his Tarra di Sognu, as they say in Bonifacio.
—Chris Santini
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2018 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 80% Vermentinu, 20% Riminese, Biancu Gentile, Genovese, Carcaghjolu Biancu |
Appellation: | Vin de France |
Country: | France |
Region: | Corsica |
Producer: | Clos Canarelli |
Vineyard: | 3 ha, planted in 2013 |
Soil: | Limestone, Chalk |
Farming: | Biodynamic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
2019 Vin de France Rouge “Costa Nera”
France | Corsica
A grandiose monument to the power of Corsica’s heirloom grapes.
2023 Bonifacio Blanc “Tarra di Sognu”
France | Corsica
Experience Bonifacio, one of Corsica's historic wine regions, through Canarelli's epic, age-worthy biancu.
2020 Corse Figari Rouge
France | Corsica
This fragrant red from the island’s south echoes the earthy, meaty complexity found in chewy cuts of coppa, lonzu, prisuttu, or figatellu that inevitably surface toward the end of a tasting at Clos Canarelli.
2021 Corse Figari Rosé
France | Corsica
A biodynamic, orange-zesty, multifaceted masterpiece from the most ancient growing region on the island.
2022 Huile d’Olive Vierge Extra
France | Corsica
Fruity nose with a hint of black olive; mild yet richly textured with a soft, peppery finish.
2021 Corse Figari Rouge “Amphora”
France | Corsica
This brooding amphora-aged red is a tribute to ancient Corsican wines, as they were produced in Roman times.
2023 Corse Figari Blanc
France | Corsica
August Club Bianco ~ What about real-deal vanilla aromatics? I’m talking cured Madagascar bourbon seed, lightly crushed, delicate and discreet.
2016 Costa Nera
France | Corsica
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.
2019 Corse Figari Rouge “Alta Rocca”
France | Corsica
Among the greatest expressions of Sciaccarellu being made today.
2017 Corse Figari Rouge “Amphora”
France | Corsica
This brooding amphora-aged red is a tribute to ancient Corsican wines, as they were produced in Roman times.
About The Producer
Clos Canarelli
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.
More from Corsica or France
2022 Vin de France Rouge “Monte Bianco”
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica
2021 Vin de France Blanc “B.G.”
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
2021 Corse Figari Blanc “Amphora”
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2023 Vin de Corse “Blanc de Marquilliani”
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica
2019 Vin de France Rouge “Costa Nera”
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2021 Patrimonio Blanc “Cuvée Sarah”
Domaine Giacometti France | Corsica
2018 Île de Beauté Rouge “O Bà”
Yves Leccia France | Corsica
2021 Vin de France Blanc “Morta Maio”
Jean-Baptiste Arena France | Corsica
2021 Patrimonio Rouge “Carco”
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
2017 Vin de France Blanc “Diplomate d’Empire”
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica
2020 Île de Beauté Rouge
Yves Leccia France | Corsica
2016 Vin de France Blanc “B.G.”
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
2022 Vin de France Rouge “Monte Bianco”
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica
2021 Vin de France Blanc “B.G.”
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
2021 Corse Figari Blanc “Amphora”
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2023 Vin de Corse “Blanc de Marquilliani”
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica
2019 Vin de France Rouge “Costa Nera”
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2021 Patrimonio Blanc “Cuvée Sarah”
Domaine Giacometti France | Corsica
2018 Île de Beauté Rouge “O Bà”
Yves Leccia France | Corsica
2021 Vin de France Blanc “Morta Maio”
Jean-Baptiste Arena France | Corsica
2021 Patrimonio Rouge “Carco”
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
2017 Vin de France Blanc “Diplomate d’Empire”
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica
2020 Île de Beauté Rouge
Yves Leccia France | Corsica
2016 Vin de France Blanc “B.G.”
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
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