Corsica Dreaming in San Diego
Starlite Restaurant, San Diego, CA
Tasted October 5, 2017 by Cote d'Or with 345 views
Introduction
While in San Diego for work, I was fortunate to catch up with Marty Steinley, who was gracious enough to invite me to join him and his tasting group for a virtual tour of Corsican terroir. They are a fun, wine-savvy group of guys who appreciate what is in the bottle more than what is on the label. We tasted through some current releases from Kermit Lynch's portfolio of Corsican whites and reds at the Starlite restaurant, an ideal venue that provided excellent facilities, fantastic food and charming service.
Flight 1 - Corsican Whites (5 notes)
1) 2016 Clos Canarelli Corse Figari
2) 2016 Abbatucci Ajaccio "Faustine" Vieilles Vignes
3) 2015 Abbatucci Vin de France "Diplomate d'Empire"
4) 2016 Domaine E Croce (Yves Leccia) Patrimonio
5) 2015 Antoine Arena Patrimonio "Carco"
-translucent super pale light gold-green
-markedly expressive floral fresh sweet white fruits
-med acidity gives freshness on the lighter weight frame, white fruits with a mineral spine
-aromatic, pretty and fresh, very nice, the most light-hearted of the flight
-translucent nearly colorless pale yellow
-bright mostly floral with a bit of white fruits
-med- acidity, soft and almost unctuous texture, noticeable bitter streak intertwined with some white fruits and minerality
-notably soft texture and more restrained
-translucent nearly colorless
-elegant delicate restrained white flowers and orchard fruit, evolves with new aromas that expand over 3 hrs
-med/med- acidity is just enough to provide some cut, med weight, soft round and long, complexity builds over 3 hrs
-beguiling, elegant, beautiful, complete; seems to have some aging potential, stylistically a bit reminiscent of a Raveneau Chablis
-translucent pale yellow
-moderately expressive pretty floral seawater wet stone
-med acidity, middle weight fresh sweet ripe white fruits with saline minerality and faint bitterness, finishes dry with good length
-vibrant, excellent, the most minerality of the flight
-translucent light gold
-slightly smoky sweet white fruits
-med- acidity, soft mouthfeel, low profile sweet white fruits
-the darkest and most serious/restrained wine of the flight, seems to have a significant potential to unfurl
Flight 2 - Corsican Reds (5 notes)
1) 2015 Clos Canarelli Corse Figari rouge
2) 2014 Domaine Maestracci "E Prove"
3) 2014 Domaine E Croce (Yves Leccia) Patrimonio
4) 2014 Antoine-Marie Arena Patrimonio "Carco"
5) 2015 Abbatucci Vin de France "Ministre Impérial"
-vibrant red-purple
-restrained red fruits
-med/med- acidity, med weight and concentration, racy dark red fruits fresh minerality and a bitter streak that carries through to the med+ tannins on the finish
-quite nice if a bit rustic
-opaque dark red
-restrained red fruit vinyl component
-med acidity, med weight, bright chalky red fruit sweet tarts
-exuberant, very nice now and some upside
-nearly opaque dark red purple
-restrained minerally dark fruit
-med acidity, middle weight lower profile generous dark fruit
-serious and elegant darker fruited, very good now though probably benefits from a few more years
-med dark red
-restrained cherry mineral
-med acidity, med weight mineraly-driven lean focused dark red fruit, med+ chalky tannins
-serious focused highly mineral, excellent now and should get better over next several years
-nearly opaque dark red
-minimally expressive dark red fruit slight vinyl component
-med acidity, med weight red fruit with slowly evolving mineral and herbal components emerging after 2 hrs
-too young to yield much at this stage but has a lot of potential
Closing
The wines all showed very well. It was fascinating to see the differences in the whites, which were evident despite nearly all of them being made entirely from vermentinu. The Abbatucci special cuvées were, well, special. They unfurled with extended air and showed complexities and subtleties not present in the others, no doubt because of the field blend of native varieties.