Domaine de Vaccelli - Quartz Rouge 2023
In Cognocoli-Monticchi, in the Taravo valley, Domaine de Vaccelli works one of the most unique expressions of Corsican viticulture. The Courrèges family has been cultivating these granite arenas located south of Ajaccio since 1961, in an environment of hillsides, maquis, and maritime influences where Corsican grape varieties find a very particular resonance. Under the impetus of Gérard Courrèges and Nathalie Courrèges, the estate has deepened a demanding parcel-by-parcel reading, with wines that seek less immediate power than precision of touch and aromatic depth. The property has established itself among the island's references thanks to its mastery of Sciaccarellu, Vermentinu, and several indigenous varieties long remaining more confidential. The vines are worked in certified organic agriculture, in an approach that respects the biodiversity of the place and preserves the natural energy of the granite soils. Quartz Rouge 2023 fits into this research and memory approach, highlighting ancient Corsican grape varieties capable of giving the wine a rare personality. It is not a classic Ajaccio red, but a freer, deeper, and more refined island cuvée, where the Mediterranean structure is traversed by a stony freshness.
This cuvée brings together Carcajolo, Minustellu, and Sciaccarellu, three Corsican red grape varieties that each bring an essential nuance to the wine's balance. Carcajolo provides structure, a dark depth, and a form of tannic uprightness; Minustellu enhances density, color, and aromatic intensity; Sciaccarellu brings fruit brightness, pepper, floral finesse, and that very recognizable vibration of Ajaccio reds. Quartz Rouge 2023 is listed under IGP Île de Beauté, which allows the estate to work this composition with more freedom than under the strict appellation framework. The style relies on a delicate extraction, closer to infusion than concentration, to preserve the texture's finesse despite the natural depth of the grape varieties. The aging, traditionally conceived at Vaccelli to accompany the material without hardening it, helps polish the tannins and place the wine in a more polished dimension. The 2023 vintage offers here a reading both serious and vibrant, with a well-present maturity but held by the freshness of granite. This cuvée thus stands out from the estate's more immediately fruity reds by its varietal complexity, rarity, and the sensation of a wine still in construction, destined to gain nuance over time.
The color presents itself in a deep red, nuanced with garnet reflections, without excessive opacity. The nose mixes fresh black fruits, dark cherry, wild blackberry, and plum, then evolves towards notes of pepper, myrtle, cistus, fine licorice, and discreet smoke. On the palate, the wine has a true presence, but its balance relies more on grain than mass. The tannins are tight, precise, progressively coated by a dense and fresh matter, with a mineral sensation that lengthens the wine rather than hardening it. The whole retains a beautiful energy, a very Corsican aromatic depth, and a finish marked by spices, black fruits, maquis herbs, and a saline touch. This red will pair remarkably with wild boar stew, herb-confit lamb shoulder, sautéed kid, roasted pigeon, veal with olives, stuffed eggplants, or aged sheep cheese. Served around 15 to 16°C, after aeration in its youth, it will reveal more precisely the finesse of its tannins and the complexity of its island grape varieties.
Grape varieties: Carcajolo, Minustellu, Sciaccarellu
This item is limited to 3 units per customer.
