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Domaine Napoléon Brizi, Patrimonio Rosé

Corsica, France 2018 (750mL)
$28.00
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Domaine Napoléon Brizi, Patrimonio Rosé

The only problem with a wine like today’s is the FOMO (fear of missing out): One sip and you’re pondering how much more magical it would be to drink it in the place it is made. I’ve been a fan of Corsican wines for a long time, and one of the first wines I think of when I think of Corsica is Comte Abbatucci’s benchmark “Cuvée Faustine” Rosé. Now, Faustine has some distinguished company: Napoléon Brizi’s brilliant Patrimonio Rosé. 
It’s made in a different region, from a different grape, but it’s Mediterranean through and through, and I love that. Brizi’s 2018 rosé of Nielluccio is bracingly salty, bright, and layered, a last dip before we wave goodbye to a summer of sunburns and heirloom tomato sandwiches. This is such a fantastic example of what Corsica has to offer: If you haven’t tried wines from this wild terroir then now’s the time. I’m a big believer in drinking rosé year-round and this Patrimonio rosé is just as delicious as it is nostalgic; rich enough to ward off autumn’s cooler evenings but still so pure and easy to drink it will transport your meals no matter how cold the nights get. Good rosé is always in season, and this wine will drink well for years!
Corsica is a magical hodgepodge of influences, despite being under French rule since 1769. The wines are decidedly French in style, but with a delightful Mediterranean twist, with Rolle (aka Vermentino) and Nielluccio being the most common varieties on the island. Nielluccio is the most highly regarded red variety by far, and often touted as indigenous even though it is genetically nearly identical to Sangiovese. Ampelographers believe it was brought to the island by the Italian Genoese, who ruled until the 18th century and left their mark on grape-growing and culture alike. Nielluccio is particularly dense in the Patrimonio region to the North of the island, and accounts for 100 percent of Domaine Napoléon Brizi’s rosé production. 

Patrimonio’s clay-limestone soils impart a particular minerality and tannin to the reds and rosés of Corsica—there’s an unmistakable salinity and tension to these wines that should make you think of brisk ocean breezes, cooling and drying grapes while depositing the lightest dusting of spume. Relatively dry, rolling hills run give way to a rim of sugar-white sand before running into the ocean. Domaine Napoléon Brizi’s vines are planted on southeastern facing hills, right down to the coastline. They benefit from daylong Mediterranean sunshine balanced by the aforementioned sea breeze. That being said, Patrimonio as a region is protected by the island’s rugged Northern peninsula, the Cap Corse, which juts out into the sea like a giant finger and protects the grapes from harsher maritime influences. Six hectares of Nielluccio are balanced by four hectares of Vermentino and three of Muscat Pétit Grains. All grapes are hand-harvested and the rosé is vinified in stainless steel to preserve its bright and floral aromatics.

The wine is a lovely, bright salmon in the glass. Right away those classic orange blossom notes leap out at you like a splash of sea spray. There’s a lot of life and intensity here—the nose is decidedly spicy and mineral as well as fresh. The palate is rose petals and lemon zest, with a little juicy watermelon rind and more of that soft floral quality that I associate so strongly with Nielluccio. The finish is saline, firmly mineral, and begs seafood. Try a warm new potato salad with salmon or fresh crab. This is precisely the type of wine you can (and should) drink in the middle of the afternoon, over a luxurious Sunday lunch. That being said, it’ll make for a fantastic before-dinner wine to wake up your palate year round. It’s hard to put down, regardless of when you open it!
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Country
France
Region
Corsica
Sub-Region
FrancePatrimonio
Soil
Clay & Limestone
Blend
Nielluccio 100%
Alcohol
13.0
OAK
None
TEMP.
45-50
Glassware
All-Purpose Whites/Reds
Drinking
Now-2022
Decanting
Optional
Pairing
Salmon w/ Potato Salad

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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