Millesima USA LLC – New York Fine Wine Merchant
Domaine Comte Abbatucci
Rouge Frais Imperial 2015
The name Abbatucci carries a lot of weight in Ajaccio, the capital city of Corsica. General Jean-Charles Abbatucci, of Ajaccio, was a hero of the French Revolution and a comrade of another famous Corsican you may have heard of: Napoleon. Now, one of his direct descendants, another Jean-Charles Abbatucci, heads this biodynamically farmed estate just outside the capital. The Rouge Frais Imperial is made from an indigenous variety named Sciaccarellu in a single plot of about five acres, planted to roughly 20-year-old vines which are allowed to run wild, unpruned, across the hillside. It is fermented and aged in cement and stainless steel before bottling. The wine shows an elegant, clear cherry red in the glass, though while the color may be light, the flavors are impressively concentrated. Red fruits and spice, garrigue and mineratlity. If you’ve not had one before, this is a great introduction to traditional Corsican wines.