2019 Domaine U Stiliccionu Antica, Corsica, France

ABOUT THIS WINE

100% Sciaccarello from a grantic soil. It’s a selection of various parcels on the property, each a little different each year. It’s fermented and aged exclusively in demi-muids. "Antica" translates to "ancient" in the local Corsican dialect and is a reference to "old school" styled Corsican reds.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

In the 1960s, François Casabianca, a Corsican roadmaker and wine lover planted a few hectares of Corsican varieties in the granite and clay valley of Tavaro, on his family property in Serra Di Ferro, a village near the sea between Propriano and Ajaccio, as hobby. Then, in 2006, his grandson, Sébastien Poly inherited the 4.5 hectares of vines, olive trees and beehives of the estate after studying business in Toulouse and viticulture in Cahors, New Zealand and Tokaj and made his new home his life’s work. While obviously still young, Sébestien has been able to make a name for himself quickly in France. His wines are stocked by all the best Parisian cavistes. In 2007, he acquired another 3 hectares only a few kilometers from Jean-Charles Abbatucci.

Taking advantage of the quality of his granitic terroirs and northern exposure, the original vines were planted in the 1960s with a predominance of Sciccarello in red and Vermentino in white. These parcels make up just a portion of his estate - the rest is dedicated to poly-culture farm complete with chickens, donkeys and cows grazing through the vineyards, in between olives and citrus trees on ancient terraces, and large untouched tracts of scubby forest.

Sebastien obsesses over purity in his wines. His careful work both in the vineyard and in his cellar has allowed him to turn experiments with using no SO2 into a consistent part of his winemaking. The results so far have been stunning. Each of Sebastien's wines are true to their island roots while still maintaining great freshness and prioritizing elegance over power.