Domaine de Vaccelli - Granit Rouge 2023
In Cognocoli-Monticchi, in the Taravo valley, Domaine de Vaccelli has established itself as one of the finest interpretations of the contemporary Corsican vineyard. The Courrèges family works these granite arena slopes in the south of the Ajaccio appellation, between maritime influences, inland reliefs, and maquis vegetation. The estate has built a solid reputation thanks to wines that favor grain, length, and aromatic precision rather than immediate power. Its mastery of Vermentinu and Sciaccarellu is regularly praised, as is the accuracy of its aging and the organic management of the vineyard. In this environment, granite is not just a geological backdrop: it gives the wines tension, freshness, and a dry vibration that deeply mark their identity. Granit Rouge 2023 fits into this parcel ambition, with a tight, elegant, and deeply insular expression of Ajaccio red. It is a characterful cuvée, designed to make the delicacy of Sciaccarellu dialogue with the mineral depth of Corsican soils.
This cuvée comes from a parcel selection of Sciaccarellu, from old vines over fifty years old planted on granite terroir. The grape variety finds here a particularly precise expression ground, as granite naturally refines its touch, highlights its spices, and preserves an essential freshness for its balance. The aging, carried out in demi-muids and 600-liter concrete eggs, supports the material without weighing it down, bringing breath, depth, and a discreet patina. The 2023 vintage gives the wine an expression that is both ripe and slender, with fruit present but never saturated. We find this Vaccelli way of building Corsican reds on the transparency of the aroma, the finesse of the tannins, and persistence rather than mass. Granit Rouge thus stands out from the classic red by a more selective, more vertical dimension, almost tactile in the way it impresses the soil in the mouth. The whole has the stature of a great aging wine, while retaining the aromatic brightness and freedom of movement typical of Sciaccarellu.
The color presents itself in a bright red, with garnet reflections, with a measured intensity that announces finesse rather than concentration. The nose evokes red cherry, wild strawberry, ripe raspberry, and blood orange, then opens onto fine pepper, cistus, myrtle, maquis herbs, and a slightly smoky nuance. On the palate, the attack is soft, almost silky, before the wine gradually gains relief around a firm and elegant granite framework. The tannins are fine, powdery, perfectly integrated into a material that remains fresh despite its depth. The finish prolongs the tangy red fruits, sweet spices, and a saline sensation that gives the wine a beautiful length. At the table, it will accompany with precision a rosemary roasted lamb, a squab, a herb-crusted veal chop, seared tuna, brocciu cannelloni, or a matured sheep cheese. Served around 15 to 16°C, after slight aeration in its youth, it will reveal more precisely its aroma, its grain, and the discreet nobility of its terroir.
Grape variety: Sciaccarellu
This item is limited to 3 units per customer.
