2022 Domaine Comte Abbatucci - Ajaccio Rose Cuvee Faustine (750ml)

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From a general in the French Revolution to a local defender of indigenous grapes, the Abbatucci family have always championed the underdog. Their work with heritage grape varieties has earned them many accolades from residents of their native Corsica and the wine community at large. Perhaps even more importantly, they’ve used their skill with these varieties to prove that Corsican wines deserve a place in every serious cellar.  

Antoine Abbatucci founded Domaine Abbatucci in 1950. In the 1960s, as the President of Corsica’s Agricultural Council, he began a crusade to rescue endangered native Corsican vines by taking cuttings from local farmers and replanting them on a single slope rich in granite. Antoine simultaneously preserved Corsica’s unique winemaking heritage and created a library of varieties for Domaine Abbatucci to carry into the future. Jean-Charles took the reins from his father in 1992 and began the long task of converting the entire estate to biodynamics, finally earning his certification in 2006. Even though he represented Corsica at the INAO, the vagaries of AOC laws frustrated him to the point where he has completely abandoned the appellation system and currently bottles all his wines under the Vin de France label. In a recent interview, he says, “At first, I didn’t leave completely, I just began the Cuvée Collection of old varieties and bottled them as Vin de France. But five years ago, I decided the system was just too restrictive, too limited. We are in a time where agriculture is disappearing, and we need to support the traditions that make us who we are.” In the great Corsican tradition of independence, Jean-Charles blazes his own trail.  

Jean-Charles adheres very closely to biodynamic principles, and his dedication and well-deserved reputation have made his estate a pilgrimage site for many biodynamic farmers. Going so far as to drive his tractor around his vineyards, playing traditional Corsican polyphonic songs over loudspeakers to the vines and the herds of sheep foraging through them, he's a man deeply dedicated to his craft with a spiritual and exacting approach. His séléction massale work regrafting heirloom varieties continues to bear fruit (pardon the pun), and he displays a deft touch in the cellar producing singular, world-class wines.

Along with having an eye to the future, Jean-Charles has extensively studied the history of Corsica and its wines, making him the champion of the island’s viticultural heritage. This wine used to be labeled Ajaccio, but since he now works outside of the AOC, it’s labeled Vin de France.  Definitely one of my favorite rosé wines year in and year out. This is a blend of Sciaccarellu and Barbarossa, as lithe and complex as rosé gets.  It drinks on the level of a top white wine with just a hint of wispy red fruits.  Perfect roast chicken wine and a very versatile wine.