Notify me
2021 Île de Beauté Biancu Gentile “L’Altru Biancu”
Yves Leccia
Biancu Gentile, once widely grown and admired in Corsica, was later abandoned and left for dead. How could such a unique grape—found only on the island and famed for its unmatched aromatics—fall from such heights? It was a victim of rural exodus out of an economically and culturally battered Corsica, in an era when Corsican craft and tradition were frowned upon by the French government. Thankfully, in more recent years a new and younger generation set out to right a wrong, and went searching for remnants of the famed Biancu Gentile. At the time, it is estimated there was only a single acre left under vine, old and poorly tended at that. Little by little, piece by piece, good budwood was selected, propagated, grafted, and replanted. Soon six acres were under vine. Talk spread further among growers, and the plantings multiplied. Fast-forward a decade or so to today and the future of this grape is undeniable. It is the up-and-coming white Corsican grape, rapidly winning back the reputation it had earned so long ago. Yves Leccia offers a Biancu Gentile that is pure and emphasizes herbal and citrus aromatics—fermented in cuve and raised for freshness and to reveal the essence of the varietal.
—Chris Santini
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2021 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Biancu Gentile |
Appellation: | Vin de Pays de l’Île de Beauté |
Country: | France |
Region: | Corsica |
Producer: | Yves Leccia |
Winemaker: | Yves Leccia |
Vineyard: | Planted in 2011, 1 ha |
Soil: | Schist |
Aging: | Wines are aged in temperature controlled stainless steel cuves for 6 months |
Farming: | Organic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 14% |
More from this Producer or Region

2024 Île de Beauté “Biancu Marinu”
France | Corsica
This Corsican delight is fully dry, aromatic, and playful with notes of lychee, citrus blossom, pomelo fruit, and a touch of sea breeze.

2022 Patrimonio Rouge “E Croce”
France | Corsica
Leccia's earthy, delicious island-mountain wine is fun, accessible and pairs with anything from fish stew to pasta to lounging in the park.

2023 Corse Figari Blanc
France | Corsica
August Club Bianco ~ What about real-deal vanilla aromatics? I’m talking cured Madagascar bourbon seed, lightly crushed, delicate and discreet.

2017 Muscat du Cap Corse
France | Corsica
Its ravishing perfume of miel du maquis, wildflowers, and resinous herbs could come only from Corsica.

2023 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.

2024 Île de Beauté Blanc “E Croce”
France | Corsica
You’ll taste the salty sea breeze in this wine.

2023 Île de Beauté Rouge
France | Corsica
Mostly Grenache with a bit of native Niellucciu, the bottle is loaded with fresh red berry fruit, finishing with wild, herbaceous maquis.

2024 Vin de Corse “Blanc de Marquilliani”
France | Corsica
Not only are the wildflowers soaring out of the glass, but with each sip, they are blossoming all around us.

2022 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.

2024 Île de Beauté Blanc “YL”
France | Corsica
Sun-ripened fruit, sea-mist salinity, and an alluring note of fresh herbs.

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
2024 Huile d’Olive Vierge Extra
Clos Canarelli | Corsica
2017 Muscat du Cap Corse
Antoine Arena France | Corsica
2023 Vin de France Blanc “Faustine”
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica
2019 Vin de France Blanc “Général de la Révolution”
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica
Extra Virgin Olive Oil “Le Moulin de Pauline”
Domaine Marquiliani | Corsica
2023 Île de Beauté Biancu Gentile “L’Altru Biancu”
Yves Leccia France | Corsica
2021 Vin de France Blanc “Morta Maio”
Jean-Baptiste Arena France | Corsica
2019 Vin de France Muscatellu “Morta Maió” Non Muté
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
2024 Vin de France Rosé “Faustine”
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica
2022 Patrimonio Rouge “Grotte di Sole”
Jean-Baptiste Arena France | Corsica
2021 Patrimonio Blanc “Cuvée Sarah”
Domaine Giacometti France | Corsica
2022 Patrimonio Blanc “Carco”
Antoine Arena France | Corsica
2024 Huile d’Olive Vierge Extra
Clos Canarelli | Corsica
2017 Muscat du Cap Corse
Antoine Arena France | Corsica
2023 Vin de France Blanc “Faustine”
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica
2019 Vin de France Blanc “Général de la Révolution”
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica
Extra Virgin Olive Oil “Le Moulin de Pauline”
Domaine Marquiliani | Corsica
2023 Île de Beauté Biancu Gentile “L’Altru Biancu”
Yves Leccia France | Corsica
2021 Vin de France Blanc “Morta Maio”
Jean-Baptiste Arena France | Corsica
2019 Vin de France Muscatellu “Morta Maió” Non Muté
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
2024 Vin de France Rosé “Faustine”
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica
2022 Patrimonio Rouge “Grotte di Sole”
Jean-Baptiste Arena France | Corsica
2021 Patrimonio Blanc “Cuvée Sarah”
Domaine Giacometti France | Corsica
2022 Patrimonio Blanc “Carco”
Antoine Arena France | Corsica
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.