2022 ChevernyDomaine du Salvard
France | Loire
$22
Producers
If any region in the world rivals Bandol in terms of the exceptional breadth and depth of rosé production, it is Corsica, where Yves Leccia, Anne Amalric, Jean-Charles Abbatucci, and Yves Canarelli—to name just a few all-stars—make serious, yet hedonistic wines across the island. From Corsica’s top to bottom, you can find a wide range of styles, from pink wines similar to Bandols in heft, complexity, and structure, to more ethereal, weightless renditions such as this rosé from Domaine de Marquiliani. Halfway down the eastern coast, in Aghione, vigneronne Anne Amalric crafts this cuvée from the Sciaccarellu grape with a splash of Syrah.
The first thing you notice is that it practically appears to be a white wine. And yet, as delicate and finessed as this rosé “vin gris” is, it packs some serious flavor, with notes of citrus, minerals, and peach, and a seemingly endless finish. This paradox—so light on its feet, yet succulent—comes from Anne’s terroir and her winemaking approach. The almost transparent hue and elegance on the palate result from her practice of harvesting early to avoid overripeness and pressing the grapes very gently. The depth and range of flavor, on the other hand, come primarily from Anne’s remarkable, stony terroir that imbues the grapes with so much character. Just one taste is enough to understand why it is a perennial favorite of our clients and staff, and how our stock of the wine and the contents of your bottle vanish so quickly.
—Tom Wolf
Wine Type: | Rosé |
Vintage: | 2021 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 95% Sciaccarellu, 5% Syrah |
Appellation: | Vin de Corse |
Country: | France |
Region: | Corsica |
Producer: | Domaine de Marquiliani |
Winemaker: | Anne Amalric |
Vineyard: | 20 years average |
Soil: | Schist and granite gravel with silt |
Aging: | Fermented in stainless steel |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 13.0% |
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica | Île de Beauté
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica
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.
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica
Domaine Giacometti France | Corsica
Domaine Giacometti France | Corsica | Patrimonio
Domaine Giacometti France | Corsica | Patrimonio
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica | Vin de France
Yves Leccia France | Corsica | Patrimonio
Yves Leccia France | Corsica | Patrimonio
Yves Leccia France | Corsica | Vin de Pays de l’Île de Beauté
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica | Vin de France
Domaine Giudicelli France | Corsica | Patrimonio
Yves Leccia France | Corsica | Patrimonio
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica | Île de Beauté
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