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2021 Patrimonio Blanc “Cru des Agriate”
Domaine GiacomettiTo get to Domaine Giacometti, one must take the narrow, winding road between Calvi and Saint-Florent that cuts through the wilderness known as the Désert des Agriates. The road is flanked by scented scrubland made up of plants like immortelle and myrtle, each turn offering a stunning view of either Corsica’s dramatic mountains or the distant blue of the Mediterranean coast. Upon arriving at the tiny hamlet of Casta, a sign points down a dirt road leading to the domaine. After several minutes of dusty, bumpy off-roading, the Giacometti home and cellars, surrounded by beautifully tended vineyard plots, come into view.
It is in this remote land of granite that Simon Giacometti grows organic Vermentinu grapes for the family's Patrimonio white. The fruit is all hand-harvested and ferments spontaneously in stainless steel, completing its malolactic to give a delightful balance of palate-coating stone fruit and crisp citrus. Notes of herbs and sea salt further distinguish this dry and refreshing Corsican elixir, which shines served cool with grilled fish or summery salads.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2021 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Vermentinu |
Appellation: | Patrimonio |
Country: | France |
Region: | Corsica |
Producer: | Domaine Giacometti |
Winemaker: | Christian Giacometti |
Vineyard: | 8 – 28 years |
Soil: | Clay, Granite |
Aging: | Aged for less than 6 months on fine lees in stainless steel tank |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 13% |
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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.
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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.