Vermentinu, Dom. Giacometti

Corsica has a strikingly mountainous landscape. The granite peaks top out above 9,000 feet. The terroir is predominantly granite with the exception of the Patrimonio appellation in the north, which has limestone, clay, and schist soils.

To get to Domaine Giacometti, one must take the narrow, winding road between Calvi and Saint-Florent that cuts through the wilderness known as the Désert des Agriates. The road is flanked by scented scrubland made up of plants like immortelle and myrtle, each turn offering a stunning view of either Corsica’s dramatic mountains or the distant blue of the Mediterranean coast. Upon arriving at the tiny hamlet of Casta, a sign points down a dirt road leading to the domaine. After several minutes of dusty, bumpy off-roading, the Giacometti home and cellars, surrounded by beautifully tended vineyard plots, come into view.

It is in this remote land of granite that Simon Giacometti grows organic Vermentinu grapes for the family's Patrimonio white. The fruit is all hand-harvested and ferments spontaneously in stainless steel, completing its malolactic to give a delightful balance of palate-coating stone fruit and crisp citrus. Notes of herbs and sea salt further distinguish this dry and refreshing Corsican elixir.