Notify me
2021 Patrimonio Rouge “E Croce”
Yves Leccia![- Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant](https://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2021-Patrimonio-iRougei-E-Croce-product-image-8122-medium.jpg)
Closer to Italy than to France, the French island of Corsica juts out of the Mediterranean like a left-handed wrist, fist, and index finger pointing at the Italian Riviera. At the western base of this finger, along the Gulf of Saint-Florent, lies Patrimonio, a true vinous Eden. Vineyards climb the steep slopes of the teeth-like mountain range called Sant Anghjulu and stretch across the rolling hills below. Abundant sea breezes bring high daytime temperatures down to cool, soothing nighttime ones and keep the vines dry, warding off mildew.
Still, there are other challenges to contend with, and farming vines organically makes facing these challenges more difficult, even if it does pay off in the end. “We have to do so many things meticulously by hand,” says Sandrine Leccia. “We work much more in the vineyard than we would if we did not farm organically—we mustn’t equate organic with hands-off.”
You can certainly taste the painstaking work in the glass. This rouge, a blend of 90% Niellucciu and 10% Grenache, is remarkably pure and raw. Its seriousness sneaks up on you because the first taste is so succulent, with pitch-perfect acidity, that you think it’s going to be a juicy quaffer. Then the finish lengthens and the smooth tannins look for some grilled fare to sink their teeth into, suggesting that the wine will also evolve beautifully over time.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2021 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 90% Niellucciu, 10% Grenache |
Appellation: | Patrimonio |
Country: | France |
Region: | Corsica |
Producer: | Yves Leccia |
Winemaker: | Yves Leccia |
Vineyard: | 20 to 40 years, 7.1 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone, Schist |
Aging: | All red grapes are de-stemmed, then placed in stainless steel cuves for 12 to 15 days with daily pump-overs, then aged for 12 months |
Farming: | Organic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
![2021 Patrimonio <i>Rouge</i> “Grotte di Sole” Jean-Baptiste Arena](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2021-Patrimonio-iRougei-Grotte-di-Sole-product-image-8121-medium.jpg)
2021 Patrimonio Rouge “Grotte di Sole”
France | Corsica
Think classic, spirited Sangiovese with a wilder, slightly darker-fruited, herb-singed character from the ancient seaside maquis-studded limestone.
![2018 Île de Beauté <i>Rouge</i> “O Bà” Yves Leccia](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2018-le-de-Beaut-iRougei-O-B-product-image-7617-medium.jpg)
2018 Île de Beauté Rouge “O Bà”
France | Corsica
A complex blend of one part Niellucciu for structure, one part Minustellu for silky tannins, and one part Grenache for a splash of wild blackberry and sunbaked earth, there is both power and elegance.
![2020 Île de Beauté <i>Rouge</i> Yves Leccia](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2020-le-de-Beaut-iRougei-product-image-6098-medium.jpg)
2020 Île de Beauté Rouge
France | Corsica
Highly aromatic (wild berries), velvety structured palate with striking freshness and mineral finish. This Corsican beauty, predominantly Grenache based with a splash of Niellucciu, is your next perfect companion for anything on the grill. At this price, we are giving it away!
![2022 Île de Beauté <i>Rouge</i> Yves Leccia](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2022-le-de-Beaut-iRougei-product-image-7099-medium.jpg)
2022 Île de Beauté Rouge
France | Corsica
In this bottling from Yves Leccia, the French import Grenache—called Elegante in Corsica—takes center stage, offering fragrant notes of lavender spiced with balmy Mediterranean brush.
![2021 Île de Beauté Biancu Gentile “L’Altru Biancu” Yves Leccia](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2021-le-de-Beaut-Biancu-Gentile-LAltru-Biancu-product-image-7420-medium.jpg)
2021 Île de Beauté Biancu Gentile “L’Altru Biancu”
France | Corsica
It is the up-and-coming white Corsican grape, rapidly winning back the reputation it had earned so long ago.
![2022 Île de Beauté Rosé “E Croce” Yves Leccia](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2022-le-de-Beaut-Ros-E-Croce-product-image-7102-medium.jpg)
2022 Île de Beauté Rosé “E Croce”
France | Corsica
A Niellucciu-based rosé that is so fresh, pure, and invigorating, while delivering a healthy dose of Mediterranean brine.
![2023 Île de Beauté Rosé Yves Leccia](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2023-le-de-Beaut-Ros-product-image-9237-medium.jpg)
2023 Île de Beauté Rosé
France | Corsica
A refreshing rosé refreshing whose distinct grape varieties yield a familiar wine with just enough Corsican terroir to set it apart.
![2017 Muscat du Cap Corse Antoine Arena](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2017-Muscat-du-Cap-Corse-product-image-5192-medium.jpg)
2017 Muscat du Cap Corse
France | Corsica
You won’t confuse this stunning dessert wine with Muscat from anywhere else: its ravishing perfume of miel du maquis, wildflowers, and resinous herbs could come only from Corsica
![2019 Vin de France Muscatellu “Morta Maió” Non Muté Antoine-Marie Arena](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2019-Vin-de-France-Muscatellu-Morta-Mai-Non-Mut-product-image-6689-medium.jpg)
2019 Vin de France Muscatellu “Morta Maió” Non Muté
France | Corsica
If you’re like me, a glass of Corsican Muscatellu sparks visions of evening cheese plates laden with Marcona almonds and gemlike fruits.
![2022 Île de Beauté <i>Blanc</i> “E Croce” Yves Leccia](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2022-le-de-Beaut-iBlanci-E-Croce-product-image-7044-medium.jpg)
2022 Île de Beauté Blanc “E Croce”
France | Corsica
You’ll taste the salty sea breeze in this wine.
![Producer - Yves Leccia](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/content_producers/210-1-146830.jpg)
About The Producer
Yves Leccia
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
2020 Vin de France Rouge “Ministre Impérial”
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica
2016 Vin de France Blanc “B.G.”
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
2023 Vin de Corse “Le Rosé de Pauline”
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica
2022 Île de Beauté Rouge
Yves Leccia France | Corsica
2021 Vin de France Blanc “B.G.”
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
2023 Île de Beauté Rosé
Yves Leccia France | Corsica
2018 Vin de France Blanc “B.G.”
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
2021 Île de Beauté Biancu Gentile “L’Altru Biancu”
Yves Leccia France | Corsica
2017 Muscat du Cap Corse
Antoine Arena France | Corsica
2022 Île de Beauté Rosé “E Croce”
Yves Leccia France | Corsica
Extra Virgin Olive Oil “Fruité Douce”
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica
2019 Corse Figari Rouge “Alta Rocca”
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2020 Vin de France Rouge “Ministre Impérial”
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica
2016 Vin de France Blanc “B.G.”
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
2023 Vin de Corse “Le Rosé de Pauline”
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica
2022 Île de Beauté Rouge
Yves Leccia France | Corsica
2021 Vin de France Blanc “B.G.”
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
2023 Île de Beauté Rosé
Yves Leccia France | Corsica
2018 Vin de France Blanc “B.G.”
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
2021 Île de Beauté Biancu Gentile “L’Altru Biancu”
Yves Leccia France | Corsica
2017 Muscat du Cap Corse
Antoine Arena France | Corsica
2022 Île de Beauté Rosé “E Croce”
Yves Leccia France | Corsica
Extra Virgin Olive Oil “Fruité Douce”
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica
2019 Corse Figari Rouge “Alta Rocca”
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
Kermit once said...
![Old wine bottles](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/content/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-Kermit-once-said-image_img_1-13432-medium.jpeg)
Kermit once said...
Let the brett nerds retire into protective bubbles, and whenever they thirst for wine it can be passed in to them through a sterile filter. Those of us on the outside can continue to enjoy complex, natural, living wines.
Inspiring Thirst, page 236