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2021 Patrimonio Rouge “Grotte di Sole”
Jean-Baptiste Arena
If a northern Corsican cuvée named for a sunny grotto doesn’t pique your curiosity, perhaps a bit of background on the lieu-dit might. Niellucciu grows here on decomposed limestone with whole fossils in the soil, basking in the warmth of a full sun. Made by the weathered hands of a born-and-bred Corsican farmer, in the most wild and glorious setting, it’s a wine from a parcel that offers density and chew in the glass. Brooding with black pepper and anise, this is your pairing for whole sausages grilled in a giant coil, a fennel gratin, or any other classic meat-and-potato entrée to stick to your ribs as the weather cools down.
—Jane Augustine
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2021 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Niellucciu |
Appellation: | Vin de France |
Country: | France |
Region: | Corsica |
Producer: | Jean-Baptiste Arena |
Winemaker: | Jean-Baptiste Arena |
Vineyard: | 60 years, 1 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone |
Farming: | Organic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
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Think classic, spirited Sangiovese with a wilder, slightly darker-fruited, herb-singed character from the ancient seaside maquis-studded limestone.

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About The Producer
Jean-Baptiste Arena
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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2022 Vin de France Blanc “B.G.”
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2024 Vin de Corse “Blanc de Marquilliani”
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2024 Île de Beauté Blanc “E Croce”
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2023 Bonifacio Blanc “Tarra di Sognu”
Clos Canarelli France | Corsica
2022 Patrimonio Rouge “Carco”
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2023 Vin de France Rouge “Monte Bianco”
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Where the newsletter started

Where the newsletter started
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch