Offer

Masters of Ajaccio: Abbatucci & Vaccelli

January 15, 2026

Corsica remains one of the most singular and, frankly, interesting corners of the wine world today. The French aptly call it ‘l’Île de Beauté’, but even that feels like an understatement. This is a landscape of high drama. Jagged granite massifs plunge directly into the turquoise Mediterranean, and the air is thick with the scent of the maquis: that wild, heady perfume of rosemary, myrtle, and immortelle that defines the island's soul.

The terroir here produces wines that possess a tension and a saline minerality unlike anything else in France. We are thrilled to offer selections from two of the Taravo Valley's absolute titans: Comte Abbatucci and Domaine de Vaccelli.

I’ve heard it said that one particular "referee" (a critic's term, certainly not mine) considers Vaccelli the ‘DRC of Corsica’. Whether you subscribe to the hyperbole or not, the pedigree in these bottles is undeniable. Both estates are obsessed with the purity of their decomposed granite soils; both are champions of the island's indigenous ampelography; and both are crafting wines of immense structural elegance and visceral energy. These aren't just "island wines"—they are world-class expressions of place that demand a spot in any serious cellar.

COMTE ABBATUCCI

Jean-Charles Abbatucci is something of a legend. His father, Antoine, serving as president of Corsica's Chamber of Agriculture in the 1960s, recognized that local grape varieties were vanishing as villagers abandoned mountain farms for coastal towns. He traveled the island, taking cuttings from wild and abandoned vines, and planted eighteen indigenous varieties in a single parcel. Jean-Charles has continued this work, farming biodynamically since 2000. He left the Ajaccio appellation entirely in 2012, bottling everything as Vin de France—the AOC rules require specific percentages of Vermentinu and Sciaccarellu, and his rarest cuvées are made from indigenous Corsican varieties that regulations do not permit.

2022 Cuvée Collection "Ministre Impérial" – 12 bottles @ $116.99
Named for a minister under Napoléon III. A blend of Sciaccarellu, Niellucciu, Carcajolu-Neru, Montanaccia, Morescono, Morescola, and Aleatico—grapes that were nearly extinct before the Abbatucci family intervened. Foot-crushed, aged in older demi-muids. Dark cherry and blackberry fruit, wild herbs, gravel-like minerality, and a peppery, savory finish. Medium-bodied with fine tannins and remarkable persistence.

2023 "Monte Bianco" – 12+ bottles @ $135
A single-varietal Sciaccarellu from a specific parcel, fermented in stainless steel and aged in foudre. If you want to understand what Sciaccarellu can achieve—the grape's Burgundian elegance, its silky tannin structure, its perfumed lift—this is the bottle. Precision and clarity throughout.

2024 "Faustine" Rouge – 12+ bottles @ $56.99 ($51.29/btl with case discount)
Named for Jean-Charles's daughter, this is the estate's entry point. Sciaccarellu with Niellucciu, medium-bodied with intense aromatics of wild myrtle and great freshness. Extraordinarily versatile at the table—equally at home with grilled fish or lamb.

And I could not help but include the last 5 bottles of 2016 Faustine Blanc, Vin de Corse - $43/btl ($38.70 with case discount). A wine that Jean-Charles would consider a village-level Vermentinu, Faustine Blanc has an uncanny ability to age. On the nose, the primary citrus has softened into a heady, aromatic profile of dried honey, preserved lemon, and bruised yellow peach. There is an unmistakable wildness here—the scent of the dry maquis (wild thyme and fennel seed) is front and center, pinned down by a deep, flinty mineral backbone.

DOMAINE DE VACCELLI

Three generations of the Courrèges family have farmed these slopes since 1962. Gérard Courrèges, who took over winemaking in 2000, has been instrumental in putting Sciaccarellu on the international map. He calls the grape "a wild Pinot Noir"—and the comparison holds. Like great Burgundy, these wines offer cherry fruit and subtle forest floor, but with an unmistakable island accent: notes of red orange, almond, black pepper, and maquis herbs. The estate has been certified organic since 2008, with all work done by hand. The barrel cellar is carved directly into the hillside, maintaining ideal temperatures naturally.

2021 Ajaccio Rouge – 12+ bottles @ $49.99
The estate's foundation red. Sciaccarellu from vines ranging 15 to 50 years old, fermented in stainless steel. Delicate tannins, generous fruit, immediately accessible yet with real depth. A terrific introduction to what this grape can do.

2022 Ajaccio "Granit" Rouge – 8 bottles @ $99.99
The flagship. Sciaccarellu from 50+ year-old vines, aged in concrete eggs and demi-muids. This is where the Burgundy parallel becomes undeniable—the cherry fruit, the earthy undertone, the silky texture—but always with that wild Corsican character: red orange peel, black pepper, and the herbal signature of the maquis. Remarkable length.

2023 Ajaccio Blanc – 4 bottles @ $59.99
Vermentinu from hillside granite arenas, aged in eggs and demi-muids. Floral, precise, with that characteristic Corsican salinity and mineral tension.

2023 Ajaccio "Granit" Blanc – 6 bottles @ $99.99
A parcel selection of old-vine Vermentinu from a cooler site. The longer growing season brings serious concentration and explosive minerality that remains totally fresh. Exceptional aging potential.

These are wines of place in the truest sense—the product of specific soils, specific grapes, and specific people who have committed to preserving something rare.

Quantities are limited across the board.