2022 Domaine Antoine Arena, Patrimonio Blanc, Carco, Corsica, France.
The beautiful, mineral toned and deep Antoine Arena Carco Patrimonio Blanc, made from 100% Vermentinu (Vermentino) is drinking exceptionally well at this stage, especially last night when I had this wine with friends at Monterey’s Cella Restaurant with a selection of sea food, from anchovies to raw blue fin tuna. The 2022 is evolving nicely, its palate is rich, ripe and delicately aromatic with almost a full bodied feel, delivering a range of peachy stone fruit, lemony preserved citrus, subtle tropical fruit and steely quince, along with chalky stones, white flowers, faint herbal elements, rounded almond brioche and lovely salinity. This Mediterranean white is influenced by the sea, limestone soils and the windy slopes of the Patrimonio region of Corsica, where Antoine Arena is one of the Island’s great producers. I’ve long been a fan of Arena’s wines, but silly enough have not reviewed as many as I should have, considering how many I have had and enjoyed over the last 15 years. Arena is a domaine in transition and Antoine is now joined by his two sons, Antoine-Marie and Jean-Baptiste, who, Kermit Lynch says share Antoine’s spirit and continue to work the land and make the wine naturally, as taught by their father. As of the 2014 vintage, the Arenas have divided their holdings evenly amongst Antoine, Antoine-Marie, and Jean-Baptiste, with each starting to produce their own things too. Corsica continues to thrill with Red, White and Rosé all being must have offerings from the Island’s top labels with Arena being a winery to follow.
The Domaine Antoine Arena Carco vineyard is on an eastern facing slope, in the Patrimonio zone, set on loads of limestone, was, as importer Kermit Lynch notes, was originally cleared of its maquis and planted to Vermentinu and Niellucciu in 1987. The name of the parcel, Carco, Lynch adds, dates back to at least Napoleonic times, and in Corsican means “busy,” most likely due to the fact that it was covered in densely planted olive trees at that time, before being abandoned. Two different wines come from this vineyard, from Arena, with the Vermentinu and Niellucciu, being the main interest here, making Patrimonio Blanc, as seen here, and a fine example of Patrimonio Rouge. For this all organic white, Arena whole cluster presses the juice into cement cuve for a long cool fermentation, with the Vermentinu typically seeing 6 to 8 months on the fine lees in stainless steel tanks for aging. This Carco does go through full malo-lactic fermentation, adding to the mouth feel and vinous presence in the glass, but without losing the lively energy and verve that comes from the limestone that these vines are digging into. I completely agree with Kermit Lynch that Antoine and his wife Marie, who have worked tirelessly to put Patrimonio on the world’s wine map to the greater public, and with quite a success, as seen here. They brought fame and respect to their appellation on Corsica, once only famous for Napoleon, and are recognized nearly unanimously as being the best there is on the island, and I highly recommend their wines.
($48 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive