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2020 Patrimonio Rouge “Morta Maio”
Antoine Arena
An early resistant to the wave of chemical farming and technological winemaking that swept across France decades ago, Antoine Arena inadvertently became a pioneer of what is now known as the natural wine movement. But his legacy will truly be cemented as an ardent defender of the Corsican identity, as expressed through the lens of the Patrimonio appellation and its great terroirs.
While he has passed on most of his vineyard holdings to his two sons, he still vinifies a few cuvées each year with as much passion and dedication as ever. This bottling of 100% Niellucciu showcases the dark, flaky schist, known locally as marticciu, that is found around the winery. Antoine’s less-is-more approach in the cellar yields a vibrant tonic akin to a savory brew of muddled stone, wild herbs, and salty sea air. To experience the best this island has to offer, this bottling from the godfather of Corsican terroir-driven winemaking is not a bad place to start.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2020 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Niellucciu |
Appellation: | Patrimonio |
Country: | France |
Region: | Corsica |
Producer: | Antoine Arena |
Vineyard: | Planted in 2001, 2 ha |
Soil: | Schist |
Farming: | Organic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
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About The Producer
Antoine 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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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