Clos Canarelli : Amphora 2020

Characteristics and tasting advice for Clos Canarelli’s Amphora Blanc 2020

Tasting

Appearance

The wine displays a pale golden-yellow hue.

Nose

The nose opens with intense aromas of white flowers and citron, underscored by mineral notes reminiscent of gunflint.

Palate

On the palate, this wine reveals a broad, saline texture, with remarkable tension carrying through the mid-palate to a lingering finish.

Food and wine pairings

This white wine pairs perfectly with Corsican sheep’s-milk cheese, summer salads, or seafood.

Serving and cellaring

Amphora Blanc 2020 is best served between 11 and 13°C. This wine can be enjoyed now and through around 2030.

A full-bodied and refined Corsican white wine

The estate

Founded in 1968 in the village of Tarabucetta near Figari, Clos Canarelli underwent a radical transformation from 1993, when Yves Canarelli took over the family estate. He then undertook a complete restructuring of the vineyard by replanting indigenous Corsican grape varieties. Today, the estate spans around 38 hectares and has been certified organic since 2002 and biodynamic since 2006. Yves Canarelli, a former economics student who retrained as an oenologist, runs the property with a philosophy that combines tradition and innovation, notably through the use of clay amphorae for certain cuvées.

The vineyard

This white wine comes from a tiny 0.5-hectare plot planted in 1997, located in the Corse Figari appellation at the extreme south of the island. The Vermentino vines grow on decomposed granite soil rich in minerals, with a south and south-west exposure. The vineyard benefits from an extreme Mediterranean climate, marked by intense sunshine, constant winds from the Gulf of Figari, and a remarkable diurnal temperature range. These specific climatic conditions, combined with the altitude of the Figari plateau, help preserve the grapes’ freshness and natural acidity despite the summer heat.

The vintage

The 2020 vintage benefited from climatic conditions conducive to producing high-quality white wines in southern Corse.

Winemaking and ageing

The grapes for Amphora Blanc 2020 are harvested by hand and meticulously sorted. Vinification takes place in clay amphorae, where the must ferments for three months in the presence of whole bunches, allowing for extended maceration. This ancestral technique, inspired by Roman practices, encourages gentle extraction of aromatic compounds and natural micro-oxygenation. After this first phase, the wine is transferred to neutral barrels for a further three months of ageing, for a total of six months of ageing before bottling. Fermentation is carried out with indigenous yeasts specific to the estate.

Grape variety

100% Vermentino