I always come down with a chronic case of wanderlust when a wine like Sant Armettu’s “Rosumarinu” crosses my desk. It hails from Sartène, in southwestern Corsica, not too far from Ajaccio, where one of my all-time favorites, Comte Abbatucci, plies its trade. Tasting this wine blind brought me straight to the Mediterranean with its lush, sunny fruit, its floral aromas, and its hint of salinity—transporting me far, far away from the suburban conference room in which it was poured.
Then we dug deeper into the story and setting behind this succulent, steel-aged red, and well, “wow” is really the best word for it. Perched in rugged hills just a few kilometers inland from the coastal town of Propriano, the vineyards of Sant Armettu were planted by Paul Seroin more than 40 years ago, but he was content to sell them to the local cooperative until his wine-merchant son, Gilles, decided to pursue the vigneron life in earnest. And now, despite tariffs, despite COVID, despite its remote place of origin, this incomparable wine finds its way to us at a shockingly reasonable price. It is a pure expression of Sciaccarellu, one of Corsica’s signature red varieties, that had us thinking of everything from more-finessed Bandol reds, to Etna Rosso, to ripe-vintage red Burgundy. One thing is for certain: It tastes much more expensive than it is, regardless of what you think it resembles.
With the azure-blue Gulf of Propriano as a backdrop, Paul and Gilles Seroin grow not just 40 hectares of wine grapes but olive trees and a host of other crops. They’ve converted the estate to organic farming and are introducing biodynamic practices as well, infusing their wines with a kind of raw, primal energy. Sartène is the name of a village south of Sant Armettu and is also used for the wine region that surrounds it. It is very hilly terrain, with soils of granite and clay and near-constant breezes helping to refresh the vines—whether it’s the mistral winds blowing in from the north or the scirocco up from the south. These currents help moderate the climate in an area that sees an exceptional 2,700+ hours of sunshine a year. It is an incredibly scenic and wild place that is also an ideal terroir for grape-growing, with its own trio of native varieties rooted in those granitic soils—the white Vermentino (a.k.a Vermentinu, or Rolle) and the reds Sciaccarellu (a.k.a. Mammolo) and Nielluccio (likely related to Sangiovese).
There’s still disagreement over whether Sciaccarellu/Mammolo migrated to Italy’s Tuscany region from Corsica or the other way around. But regardless, the grape is pretty much Corsica’s at this point—its use in Tuscany has been almost completely relegated to supporting-cast status in Chiantis and other blends. With its satisfyingly deep color and dark-fruited, violet-scented aroma, Mammolo makes a great blending partner for the leaner, more red-fruited Sangiovese, but really, the ultimate expression of this variety is Corsican.
And if this happens to be your first Sciaccarellu experience, you couldn’t ask for a more perfect introduction. This 2019 was vinified and aged in stainless steel tanks, so it’s all about a pure chord of dark fruit supported by a potpourri of flowers, herbs, and earth. In the glass, it displays a deep ruby core that extends to a magenta rim, with a little of the “black and blue” personality one sometimes finds in southern French Mourvèdre. Aromas of elderberry, black currant, plum, violet, grilled herbs, black pepper and lavender carry over to the medium-plus-bodied palate, which is juicy and smooth. The tannins are mild and there is lots of tension keeping the wine lifted and energetic. Sometime this Winter, on an especially gray day, I urge you to uncork a bottle of this evocative red and let the sunshine in: Decant it 15 minutes before serving at 60-65 degrees in Burgundy stems with something soul (and belly) warming. This is a wine, and a pairing, you won’t soon forget!
