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2020 Patrimonio Rouge “Grotte di Sole”

Jean-Baptiste Arena
Discount Eligible $50.00
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As the name implies, this vineyard is part of a large series of southerly exposed grottoes that capture the sun’s rays fully throughout the day. The site has produced many of the Arena family’s finest Nielluccius over the years. Jean-Baptiste’s 2020 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: 2020
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: 12.5%

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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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Inspiring Thirst

I want you to realize once and for all: Even the winemaker does not know what aging is going to do to a new vintage; Robert Parker does not know; I do not know. We all make educated (hopefully) guesses about what the future will bring, but guesses they are. And one of the pleasures of a wine cellar is the opportunity it provides for you to witness the evolution of your various selections. Living wines have ups and downs just as people do, periods of glory and dog days, too. If wine did not remind me of real life, I would not care about it so much.

Inspiring Thirst, page 171