Notify me
2021 Patrimonio Rouge “E Croce”
Yves LecciaSandrine and Yves Leccia have harnessed the savory side of their “E Croce” plateau with this vintage; less emphasis on fruit and berry and instead, whiffs of smoke, earth, and warm maquis. In Corsican, niel means “black,” and ucciu is an endearing way to indicate something small. The Niellucciu variety is therefore “the little black one,” an apt translation for its dark, tightly coiled clusters that offer concentration and terroir in spades. Organically grown, just two miles from the Mediterranean, Leccia’s rouge has never made me more inspired to eat something cooked from nose-to-nail, with crackly skin on a rustic baguette, perhaps.
—Jane Augustine
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
2022 Patrimonio Blanc
France | Corsica
It’s beautifully ethereal, with pillowy fruit that tastes so sublime it would be limiting to attempt a description, although quince and verbena jump to mind.
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”
France | Corsica
It is the up-and-coming white Corsican grape, rapidly winning back the reputation it had earned so long ago.
2023 Île de Beauté Blanc “E Croce”
France | Corsica
You’ll taste the salty sea breeze in this wine.
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.
2023 Île de Beauté Blanc
France | Corsica
November Club Chevalier ~ Sun-ripened fruit, sea-mist salinity, and an alluring note of fresh herbs.
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.
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.
2022 Corse Calvi Rosé “E Prove”
France | Corsica
A perfect mix of fennel, strawberry, and some Corsican sun.
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.
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
2019 Patrimonio Rouge “Morta Maio”
Antoine Arena France | Corsica
2021 Vin de France Blanc “Morta Maio”
Jean-Baptiste Arena France | Corsica
2019 Corse Figari Rouge “Alta Rocca”
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2017 Vin de France Blanc “Diplomate d’Empire”
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica
2021 Corse Figari Blanc “Amphora”
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2017 Corse Figari Rouge “Amphora”
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2023 Ile de Beauté Rouge
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica
2018 Vin de France Blanc “B.G.”
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
2019 Vin de France Blanc “Général de la Révolution”
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica
2021 Patrimonio Blanc
Domaine Giudicelli France | Corsica
2017 Patrimonio Rosé
Antoine Arena France | Corsica
2023 Île de Beauté Blanc “E Croce”
Yves Leccia France | Corsica
2019 Patrimonio Rouge “Morta Maio”
Antoine Arena France | Corsica
2021 Vin de France Blanc “Morta Maio”
Jean-Baptiste Arena France | Corsica
2019 Corse Figari Rouge “Alta Rocca”
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2017 Vin de France Blanc “Diplomate d’Empire”
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica
2021 Corse Figari Blanc “Amphora”
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2017 Corse Figari Rouge “Amphora”
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2023 Ile de Beauté Rouge
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica
2018 Vin de France Blanc “B.G.”
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
2019 Vin de France Blanc “Général de la Révolution”
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica
2021 Patrimonio Blanc
Domaine Giudicelli France | Corsica
2017 Patrimonio Rosé
Antoine Arena France | Corsica
2023 Île de Beauté Blanc “E Croce”
Yves Leccia France | Corsica
Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
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.