Faustine Vielles Vignes, Rouge VdF 2020

A Corsican red wine with silky, cool fruit and a stony bite. In the glass, a bright, transparent cherry red with delicate violet highlights and a pale rim.

Jean-Charles Abbatucci farms granitic sandy soils in the Taravo valley. The grapes come from various plots covering around 18 hectares at roughly 100 metres of altitude; the vineyard is defined by granite. The Faustine line is named after his daughter.

70% Sciaccarellu and 30% Niellucciu, harvested at around 25 hl/ha. Hand-picked in the early morning, then destemmed and slowly fermented spontaneously over 40 days. Aged five months in stainless steel and concrete, unfined, lightly filtered. 14.5% vol., dry.

The nose brings together strawberry, sweet cherry, barberry and dried cranberry, topped with elderberry and rosehip, the fruit gently wrapped in delicate lactic notes. Red pepper and juniper add spice, with liquorice, pine forest, rosemary and thyme in the background. The palate follows through in the same vein: silky, cool, with bite from stony minerality. The acidity recedes into the background, the lactic notes fade almost entirely, and white pepper provides the most distinct accent.

Lamb chops with green beans and thyme jus, pan-seared red mullet with artichoke bottoms and glazed baby turnips, or beetroot and tomato gazpacho with Arbequina olive oil and fleur de sel.

The estate has farmed biodynamically since 2000, Demeter-certified since 2005; the logo appears on the label. Ploughing is done with a horse, a flock of sheep handles cover cropping and fertilisation, and the vines are strengthened with preparations made from medicinal herbs. The diversity of grape varieties dates back to Antoine Abbatucci, who preserved eighteen Corsican varieties in the 1960s.