2013 Clos Canarelli, Amphora, Corse Figari, Red Wine, Corsica, France.
Yves Canarelli’s wines are a must try experience if you want to taste the real Corsica and his Figari wines are some of the most sought after on the island, and they don’t last long in Kermit Lynch’s warehouse either, these are special offerings and ultra luxurious examples of what can be achieved on this rugged French isle. Along with Leccia, Clos Canarelli produces some of the best white and rose wines from the region, their Vermentino, known as Vermentinu by the locals, and the rare native Biancu Gentile are spectacular and rival the whites from Bandol and Cassis, but Canarelli also does a fantastic set of reds, and these should not be overlooked. Clos Canarelli is now all organic and biodynamic and the vines sit on a windy granite outcropping near the bay of Figari with red alluvial soils that impart heightened mineral richness and vibrancy, the wines are fermented with native/natural yeasts and very low sulphur is used or if any, no finning or filtering is done and Yves is experimenting with cement and amphora in both his whites and reds, and it is his Red Amphora that is his newest offering, it is a masterpiece of beauty, grace and depth, wildly expensive and rare, it is not likely to be seen much, but it is certainly worth mentioning here. The 2013 Clos Canarelli Amphora Rouge is made up of five native varietals with 80% Niellucciu, which is island Sangiovese, and 10% Sciacarellu being the driving force, but with 10% unique grapes of which there are no names or classifications as of yet, they were from ancient vineyards of which there is not much known or written of, this adds to the allure and interest of this wonderful wine. The color is fairly deep, garnet/ruby in hue, the nose has lots of floral and red berry scents along with hints of warm clay and dried herbs leading to a dark fruited palate that reveals raspberry, black cherry, plum and tangy currant fruits with spicy/savory elements including sweet tobacco leaf, lavender oil, fig paste, mixed spices, elegant tannins, peachy fresh acidity and flinty/shale mineral tones. The Clos Canarelli Figari Amphora Rouge was made with de-stemmed grapes, vinified in amphora vessel, or cement egg shaped cuve for 4 to 7 weeks then transferred to stainless and or neutral oak barrel to rest, which in this case was between 7 to 9 months before bottling, there was no sulphur added, this is about as pure as pure gets and as natural as natural gets. The results are stunning and while I’m not thrilled about the price, this really is a glorious and gorgeous wine with real magic in the glass. This refined and poised red from Corsica is something to cherish and be swept away by, it’s smooth character and depth of flavor make it stand out, absolutely stellar like taking the best elements of Brunello, Chateauneuf-du-Pape and an ultra fine right bank Bordeaux, drink this over the next 3 to 5 years, best from 2016 to 2019.
($99 Est.) 95 Points, grapelive
