Domaine de Vaccelli - Granit 174 - White 2024
In Cognocoli-Monticchi, in the heart of the Taravo valley, Domaine de Vaccelli belongs to those Corsican estates whose wines seem inseparable from their landscape. The Courrèges work here on a mosaic of granite hillsides exposed to the winds, in the south of the Ajaccio appellation, with a very precise reading of the island grape varieties and their relationship to the soil. The estate has established itself as one of the island's references thanks to wines that favor accuracy, mineral vibration, and depth rather than immediate power. The Revue du vin de France highlights its mastery of Vermentinu and Sciaccarellu, the quality of its aging, and the now recognized place of Vaccelli among the elite of Corsican viticulture. The vines have been farmed organically since 2008 and certified since 2019, in an approach where biodiversity, yeasts selected on the estate, and precise vinifications contribute to the identity of the cuvées. In this universe, Granit 174 White 2024 occupies a unique, almost confidential place, as it highlights a tightened expression of the granite terroir. This white from Ajaccio does not seek immediate aromatic effect: it advances with a form of evidence, tension, and dry nobility that recalls that great Corsican Vermentinu can reach a true aging dimension.
This rare cuvée comes from Vermentinu from a small plot of 0.174 hectares, planted on granite soil and exposed to the north, a fact that enlightens its name as much as its style. This parcel choice gives the wine a more vertical than sunny personality, with a natural freshness that tempers the Mediterranean ripeness of the grape variety. Granite plays an essential role here: it does not just provide a mineral backdrop, it structures the palate, refines the contours, and gives the wine this almost tactile sense of relief. On this type of terroir, Vermentinu leaves its simply floral or fruity register to gain depth, length, and sapidity. The 2024 vintage retains this luminous dimension typical of Corsican whites, but with restraint that allows the soil to speak before the grape variety. Available information describes Granit White as a pure Vermentino, complete, sapid, and mineral, rooted in the estate's granite hillside. Nothing appears demonstrative in this interpretation: the interest of the wine lies rather in its precision, its grain, its ability to combine contained breadth and saline finish.
The color should offer a clear, moderately golden brightness, in a visual expression more luminous than rich. The nose first evokes ripe citrus fruits, candied lemon, white peach, then finer nuances of fresh almond, dry flower, maquis herbs, and warm stone. The palate is distinguished by a dense but perfectly held matter, where the volume of Vermentinu tightens around a clear mineral framework. The freshness never gives an acidic impression; it rather acts as a backbone, extending the wine towards a saline, slightly bitter, very gastronomic finish. The whole possesses the discreet authority of great terroir whites, capable of slowly opening in the glass and gaining complexity with aeration. At the table, it will accompany with great accuracy grilled rock fish, roasted langoustines, amberjack carpaccio, farm poultry with lemon, clam pasta, or moderately aged sheep's cheese. Served around 10 to 12°C, it will retain its energy while revealing its texture, depth, and that mineral persistence that marks the finest whites of Ajaccio.
Grape variety: Vermentinu
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