Cousin, Cugino
Niellucciu, Sangiovese
by Chris Santini
A Corsican once told me about the first time she found herself in Tuscany, and the surprise and joy she had in discovering what felt like a land of long-lost cousins, where not only the local dialect was nearly identical, but the culture and lifestyle, too. Tuscany and Corsica, separated by only about fifty miles of sea, also share Sangiovese, or Niellucciu, depending on whom you ask (a Mediterranean version of potato/potahto, you could say). We’ve put them together in one place for you.
The Tuscan samplings here tend toward aged elegance with herbal notes, while the Corsicans have a youthful, juicy, sun-packed-in-a-bottle flamboyance to them. You’ll enjoy savoring these cousins side by side, to compare, for example, the violets and melted tannins of Castagnoli’s Chianti to the bright cherry and pepper notes of Giacometti’s Patrimonio. Or Ferretti’s voluminous and velvety Brunello to Leccia’s dark, voluptuous E Croce. Geggiano’s Riserva is an elder statesman of a wine, bursting with notes of old-growth Tuscan beech forest and fresh tobacco, a perfect foil to Arena’s captivating, licorice-infused Carco masterpiece. All of them, however, long dearly for a thick-cut, bone-in, salt-rubbed steak, charred on glowing coals. Do not let them down!