Vine Path Blog 3/20: Two Clos in Patrimonio

Vine Path Blog 3/20:

Two Clos in Patrimonio

This month we’re thrilled to be featuring wines from two of the coolest producers from one of France’s most underappreciated wine regions, Clos Signadore and Clos Marfisi of Patrimonio on the island of Corsica. Here at Bacco’s we’ve developed a bit of an obsession with island wines. The searing acidity, the intense minerality, the earthy, pronounced aromatics. They’re wines unlike anything else and Corsica has become one of our favorite places for great island wines.

The Mediterranean sea is spotted with volcanic islands, each one caused by the gradual rise of intense volcanic activity. The resulting geology is usually erratic, sometimes steep, and unique in its soil type. These vineyard lands planted on volcanic soil have become prized possessions among landowners and new wineries. It’s even become a kind of selling point for a peculiar and nerdy group of geologically enthusiastic wine consumers. What’s unique about Patrimonio compared to the other islands is the heavy presence of limestone rocks. The differences that the limestone makes, along with the unique terrains, is very real and the resulting wine is obviously distinguishable from everything else. I remember my earliest experiences with these kinds of wines and being stunned by the unique bouquet that so many of the wines develop.

Corsica is a French territorial island situated south of Genoa and just north of Sardinia. Patrimonio sits in the northern part of the island and is perhaps the most well known for making world class, distinctive wines. The region is fully coastal, and has a unique combination of chalk and clay based soils. The principle varietal here is Nielluccio, a close relative to Sangiovese, which makes up most of the overall production, though there are some white wines as well like Vermentino. Our collection is a cristallisation of these two great varietals.

Clos Signadore

Established 2001 by Christopher Ferrandis, former winemaker at the great Bandol producer Domaine Pibarnon, Clos Signadore has become the top producer of the new guard of young winemakers in Patrimonio. The Clos itself is located in Poggio d’Oletta, which is in the inland, higher elevation part of Patrimonio. The typically warm climate is moderated by sea breezes and it’s altitude, which allows Christopher to make super elegant and expressive examples of Nielluccio. This month we’re offering A Mandria Patrimonio Rouge 2016. Certified organic and vinified traditionally, A Mandria Rouge is an exciting example of what can be done with Corsican terroir.

Clos Marfisi

If the wines of Clos Signadore represent the new guard in Patrimonio then the wines of Clos Marfisi represents the old-school traditions. This five generations-old family estate in Patrimonio is currently being helmed by the brother and sister team of Mathieu and Julie Marfisi who’ve completely impressed us with their amazing wines. What makes Clos Marfisi so exciting for us is that the estate has never been touched by pesticides or herbicides and all the vines are over 50 years old and planted on limestone chunks. This is the kind of vineyard that winemakers dream of working with. We’re showing off two cuvees from this beautiful land this month, Grotta di Sole Patrimonio Vermentinu 2018 and Gritole Nielluccio 2017. Compared to the A Mandria Rouge, Gritole is rougher around the edges, more concentrated, less slick and stylish, and more gritty, and that’s where it’s charm comes from. Grotta di Sole is the only white wine of the bunch this month and it just might be my favorite. Europe is full of undervalued white wines but Vermentinu might be the most infuriatingly undervalued. This wine has searing minerality and acidity with a rich texture, intense saltiness, and bright citrus and tropical fruit tones.

All three of these wines have excellent cellaring potential so if you’re a patient person don’t worry about laying these puppies down.