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

2023 Île de Beauté Blanc “E Croce”
France | Corsica
You’ll taste the salty sea breeze in this wine.

2023 Île de Beauté Blanc
France | Corsica
Sun-ripened fruit, sea-mist salinity, and an alluring note of fresh herbs.

2023 Vin de Corse “Le Rosé de Pauline”
France | Corsica
February Club Gourmand ~ Delicate, ethereal aroma—gently floral. Rose water, citrus zest, blood orange. Round and airy on the palate. Bright, clean, pure. Crisp finish.

2023 Ile de Beauté Rouge
France | Corsica
A Corsican red from a rosé specialist.

2023 Vin de Corse “Le Rosé de Pauline” MAGNUM
France | Corsica
Delicate, ethereal aroma—gently floral. Rose water, citrus zest, blood orange. Round and airy on the palate. Bright, clean, pure. Crisp finish.

2020 Patrimonio Rouge “Morta Maio”
France | Corsica
A vibrant tonic akin to a savory brew of muddled stone, wild herbs, and salty sea air.

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.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil “Fruité Douce”
| Corsica
From a tiny mill in Corsica’s eastern mountains, Douce is soft and tender.

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.

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.

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
2022 Patrimonio Blanc “Carco”
Antoine Arena France | Corsica
2020 Patrimonio Rouge “Cuvée Sarah”
Domaine Giacometti France | Corsica
2022 Patrimonio Blanc “Hauts de Carco”
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
2022 Vin de France Blanc “B.G.”
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
2020 Vin de France Rouge “Sempre Azezzu”
Domaine Giacometti France | Corsica
2021 Corse Figari Rouge “Amphora”
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2021 Patrimonio Blanc “Grotte di Sole”
Jean-Baptiste Arena France | Corsica
2021 Patrimonio Blanc “Cuvée Sarah”
Domaine Giacometti France | Corsica
2018 Patrimonio Rouge
Domaine Giudicelli France | Corsica
2018 Corse Calvi Rouge “E Prove”
Domaine Maestracci France | Corsica
2019 Vin de France Rouge “Costa Nera”
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2023 Vin de Corse Rosé “Gris de Marquiliani” MAGNUM
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica
2022 Patrimonio Blanc “Carco”
Antoine Arena France | Corsica
2020 Patrimonio Rouge “Cuvée Sarah”
Domaine Giacometti France | Corsica
2022 Patrimonio Blanc “Hauts de Carco”
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
2022 Vin de France Blanc “B.G.”
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
2020 Vin de France Rouge “Sempre Azezzu”
Domaine Giacometti France | Corsica
2021 Corse Figari Rouge “Amphora”
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2021 Patrimonio Blanc “Grotte di Sole”
Jean-Baptiste Arena France | Corsica
2021 Patrimonio Blanc “Cuvée Sarah”
Domaine Giacometti France | Corsica
2018 Patrimonio Rouge
Domaine Giudicelli France | Corsica
2018 Corse Calvi Rouge “E Prove”
Domaine Maestracci France | Corsica
2019 Vin de France Rouge “Costa Nera”
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2023 Vin de Corse Rosé “Gris de Marquiliani” MAGNUM
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica
Kermit once said...

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