Notify me
2022 Patrimonio Rosé “Cru des Agriate”
Domaine Giacometti

Corsicans are no strangers to rugged landscapes and isolated areas, yet there is only one spot on the island that has earned the name of “Desert” among Corsicans. The Agriates Desert is a large, rugged, empty, and arid swath of land between the Cap Corse and Calvi on the northern end of the island. There are no cities nor towns, only one small paved road, and only one hamlet, with a dozen or so inhabitants. It’s swept year round with a hot and dry wind called the libecciu, and it’s been an empty area for nearly a century. The wind combined with the clay-granite soils makes growing anything here extremely laborious, with the vines requiring constant plowing to allow the roots to forage deep for water and nutrients.
Three generations ago, when Laurent Giacometti purchased a derelict, sprawling vineyard and estate in the middle of the Désert des Agriates, the previous owner handed him the keys and dryly told him, “Welcome to the village where it’s always raining somewhere else.” For centuries, agricultural plans and projects have failed spectacularly in this aptly named desert, and the Giacomettis struggled for many years as well. It took more than three decades of organic farming and persistence for their vines to learn to go deep, away from the parched and sea-salt-crusted surface. Made from Niellucciu blended with a splash of Sciaccarellu, this classy rosé is remarkably fresh, pure, and focused, with a filtered-through-granite minerality—as well-suited to apéritifs as an al fresco summer feast!
—Chris Santini
Wine Type: | Rosé |
Vintage: | 2022 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 95% Niellucciu, 5% Sciaccarellu |
Appellation: | Patrimonio |
Country: | France |
Region: | Corsica |
Producer: | Domaine Giacometti |
Winemaker: | Simon Giacometti |
Vineyard: | Planted in 1988, 1990, 1993 |
Soil: | Granite |
Aging: | Aged 5 months in stainless steel before bottling |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 12.5% |
More from this Producer or Region

2020 Vin de France Rouge “Sempre Azezzu”
France | Corsica
Not quite Rhône-like and not quite Corsican, this has the best of both worlds, with plenty of palate-staining black fruit to boot.

2019 Vin de France Rouge “Sempre Azezzu”
France | Corsica
Not quite Rhône-like and not quite Corsican, this has the best of both worlds, with plenty of palate-staining black fruit to boot.

2020 Patrimonio Rouge “Cuvée Sarah”
France | Corsica
The Cuvée Sarah, an aromatic mix of roasted, smoking herbs with plenty of tannins to chew on, goes down with pleasure and calls for another round (and a grill).

2020 Patrimonio Rouge “Cru Des Agriate”
France | Corsica
Our best value in Patrimonio offers notes of game and herbs over chewy tannins.

2020 Patrimonio Blanc “Cuvée Sarah”
France | Corsica
This white, raised in demi-muids with malolactic fermentation, flamboyantly shows off the affinity of ripe Vermentinu grapes with a judicious use of wood.

2021 Patrimonio Rosé “Cru des Agriate”
France | Corsica
This rustic, pomegranate-tinged year-round rosé is for the table, not the pool.

2021 Vin de France Rouge “San Giovanni”
France | Corsica
Imagine the drinkability of a Beaujolais with the herbs and aromatics of the Corsican landscape, thanks to a blend of indigenous grapes.

2021 Vin de France “Le Vin Coule Dans Nos Veines”
France | Corsica
Reminiscent of ripe wild blackberries crushed on a hot stone, “Le Vin Coule” is utterly gulpable—give it a light chill and revel in this unique Corsican rouge.

About The Producer
Domaine Giacometti
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
2021 Patrimonio Blanc “Grotte di Sole”
Jean-Baptiste Arena France | Corsica
2022 Vin de Corse Rosé “Gris de Marquiliani”
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica
2021 Patrimonio Rosé “Cru des Agriate”
Domaine Giacometti France | Corsica
2019 Corse Figari Rouge “Alta Rocca”
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2018 Vin de France Blanc “B.G.”
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
2019 Patrimonio Rouge
Domaine Giudicelli France | Corsica
2021 Vin de France “Le Vin Coule Dans Nos Veines”
Domaine Giacometti France | Corsica
2018 Patrimonio Rouge
Domaine Giudicelli France | Corsica
2017 Vin de France Blanc “Diplomate d’Empire”
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica
2021 Corse Figari Blanc “Amphora”
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2021 Vin de France Blanc “B.G.”
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
2020 Patrimonio Blanc “Cuvée Sarah”
Domaine Giacometti France | Corsica
2021 Patrimonio Blanc “Grotte di Sole”
Jean-Baptiste Arena France | Corsica
2022 Vin de Corse Rosé “Gris de Marquiliani”
Domaine de Marquiliani France | Corsica
2021 Patrimonio Rosé “Cru des Agriate”
Domaine Giacometti France | Corsica
2019 Corse Figari Rouge “Alta Rocca”
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2018 Vin de France Blanc “B.G.”
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
2019 Patrimonio Rouge
Domaine Giudicelli France | Corsica
2021 Vin de France “Le Vin Coule Dans Nos Veines”
Domaine Giacometti France | Corsica
2018 Patrimonio Rouge
Domaine Giudicelli France | Corsica
2017 Vin de France Blanc “Diplomate d’Empire”
Domaine Comte Abbatucci France | Corsica
2021 Corse Figari Blanc “Amphora”
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2021 Vin de France Blanc “B.G.”
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
2020 Patrimonio Blanc “Cuvée Sarah”
Domaine Giacometti France | Corsica
Kermit once said...

Kermit once said...
Great winemakers, great terroirs, there is never any hurry. And I no longer buy into this idea of “peak” maturity. Great winemakers, great terroirs, their wines offer different pleasures at different ages.
Inspiring Thirst, page 312