France

In the 1990s, Yves Canarelli's neighbours in southern Corsica were ripping up local grapes and planting international varieties. Not Yves, who instead painstakingly restored native Sciaccarellu, Niellucciu and Vermentinu vineyards, as well as his family's plot of 140-year-old pre-phylloxera vines.Yves's skilful biodynamic farming results in perfectly ripe and healthy fruit, which ferments slowly with native yeasts before maturation in barrels and amphorae. His wines have the perfumed aromatics, purity of fruit and mineral clarity that are the hallmarks of Corsica's best bottles.Despite the international acclaim of Clos Canarelli's classy, mineral-and-spice-accented rosé, Yves' stellar local reputation is built on his whites and reds. Made from Vermentinu, 'Figari Blanc' bursts with white peach and toasted almonds, while 'Figari Rouge' is a Burgundian-like expression of Niellucciu (Sangiovese), full of smoky black fruit and silky tannins.From a single vineyard planted in 1997, the domaine's flagship 'Alta Rocca' is aged in foudres for 18 months and offers crushed berries and exotic spices. Multi-layered and ageworthy, it is among the finest expressions of Sciaccarellu and – like all Canarelli's wines – quintessentially Corsican.

Clos Canarelli

Wines

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