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2020 Vin de France Blanc “Hauts de Carco”
Antoine-Marie ArenaThe Hauts de Carco parcel, planted on seemingly impossibly steep, solid rock, has solidified the Arena family’s reputation as masters of Vermentinu (and, at the time of planting, solidified their reputation among locals as having lost their minds). The only thing crazy here, though, is just how good this wine truly is—complex and generous, yet mineral and tight and delicate all at once.
—Chris Santini
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2020 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Vermentinu |
Appellation: | Vin de France |
Country: | France |
Region: | Corsica |
Producer: | Antoine-Marie Arena |
Winemaker: | Antoine-Marie Arena |
Vineyard: | Planted in 2003, 1 ha |
Soil: | Limestone, chalk, clay |
Aging: | 12 months in neutral 300-L barrels |
Farming: | Organic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 12.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
2016 Vin de France Blanc “B.G.”
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2018 Patrimonio Rouge “Carco”
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2018 Vin de France Blanc “B.G.”
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A beautiful example of Biancu Gentile, an heirloom white grape revived from near-extinction by Arena in the 1990s.
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This is for the adventure seekers. Not because they like to take risks, but because they enjoy the great outdoors and want a wine with character and beauty to enjoy by the campfire.
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Aromas of black fruit, graphite, wild herbs, and game over firm, stony tannins. Saturated with flavors of the Île de Beauté.
2021 Vin de France Blanc “B.G.”
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2022 Patrimonio Blanc “Hauts de Carco”
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It’s like Corsican Chablis: pure Vermentinu planted in seashell-encrusted limestone.
2019 Vin de France Blanc “B.G.”
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A beautiful example of Biancu Gentile, an heirloom white grape revived from near-extinction by Arena in the 1990s.
2019 Patrimonio Rouge “Carco”
France | Corsica
Aromas of black fruit, graphite, wild herbs, and game over firm, stony tannins. Saturated with flavors of the Île de Beauté.
About The Producer
Antoine-Marie Arena
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.
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Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
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.