Domaine Abbatucci Cuvée Collection Ministre Impérial

Price: $99/bottle – SOLD OUT

Stop by this Saturday to sample a majestic and fiercely unique wine from the granitic western coast of Corsica, where biodynamic winemaker Jean-Charles Abbatucci is converting rare grape varieties into poetry. Only a mere 2,000 bottles of Ministre Impérial are produced every year. As you might expect we have a very limited amount of this wine. Call or email if you’d like us to set some aside.

Jean-Charles Abbatucci’s vines come from cuttings of indigenous grapevines, sourced decades ago by his father from elderly peasant farmsteads in the mountainous and remote interior of the island. The grapes are hand-picked at maturity, only in early mornings, and crushed by foot. This far-out cuvée is comprised of Sciacarellu, Niellucciu, Carcajou-Neru, Montaneccia, Morescono, Morescola, and Aleatico varieties, all from a five acre plot planted in the early 1960s.

He has created a pristine poly-culture ecosystem on his estate south of Ajaccio that includes groves of olive trees on ancient terraces, and large swaths of untouched forests. Jean-Charles believes in following even the most offbeat biodynamic practices to the letter. He goes so far as to drive a tractor around his vineyards, playing traditional Corsican polyphonic songs over loudspeakers to the vines and the herds of sheep foraging through them.

From a glass of Ministre Impérial rise aromas of ripe cherries on hot gravel and pear skins and dusty fruit orchards. Although medium in weight there is a concentration of fruit that travels along a wave of long-lasting minerality. There is earth, broadleaf trees in the sun, girls dancing in a meadow, Burgundian ghosts, and it all expands throughout the bottle until the last sip when you are not only basking in the beauty of this wine but the beauty of wine in general. David Shildknecht of Wine Advocate says, “…the impression is entirely fresh-fruited, juicy, and buoyant, leading to a kaleidoscopically interactive, saliva-inducingly saline, uncannily energetic, and virtually endless finish.”

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Posted on 2015.01.06 in France, Saturday Sips Wines, Corsica