Monte Bianco Rouge VdF 2020

Wine description for Monte Bianco Rouge VdF 2020 by Abbatucci

Colour & appearance

Intensely luminous ruby red with a pale, rather translucent rim — a red wine of transparent elegance that reveals its cool provenance right in the glass.

Nose

What a spicy storm: juniper, allspice and green pepper shape the initial bouquet, flanked by forest floor, undergrowth and ethereal notes of pine cones and tree resin. Behind them emerge sweet cherry, plum and mulberry, whilst a touch of cocoa adds dark accents. Lovage, sage, oregano and above all dried thyme anchor the wine firmly in the herb garden of the Corsican maquis.

Palate

Taut and cool on the attack, finely structured and elegant on the mid-palate. The fruit presents itself as small-berried and acid-driven — a juicy core enveloped by stony, almost austere minerality. Silky tannins carry flavours of red and blackcurrants, whilst the spicy, ethereal nuances return on the finish.

Finish

Long and precise, with a finely spiced finale. The herbs of the maquis and a cool, saline freshness linger on the palate — a finish defined by tension and mineral depth.

Terroir & origin

From the Taravo Valley in the heart of Corsica, where Domaine Abbatucci sits at 150 metres’ altitude. The granitic sandy soils with their natural north and north-eastern exposure lend the wine its remarkable freshness and tension — a terroir that Jean-Charles Abbatucci cultivates biodynamically, using horse-drawn ploughs instead of tractors and flocks of sheep for cover cropping.

Grape variety & vinification

Pure Sciaccarellu — the indigenous Corsican grape variety that Abbatucci’s father Antoine saved from extinction in the 1960s. Fermented in concrete tanks and conical foudres, followed by several weeks of maceration with punch-downs and pump-overs. Maturation takes place for one year in foudres and demi-muids, then several months in tank. Production: only 3,000 bottles.

Food pairings

Grilled rack of lamb with mint sauce and roast potatoes — the wine’s herbal spice is mirrored in the mint. Brin d’Amour with beetroot and apple salad and toasted walnuts — this herb-crusted Corsican goat’s cheese finds its kindred spirit in the wine. Pan-seared red mullet with artichoke hearts and tomato-thyme broth — Mediterranean herbal notes meet the mineral structure of Sciaccarellu.

Special features

This wine takes its name from the Monte Bianco plot, where a unique experiment unfolds: in collaboration with Bertrand Cervera, first violinist of the Orchestre Philharmonique de France, violin melodies resonate over the vines — the vibrations are said to promote growth and impart a vibrant dimension to the wines. A wine that sings not only in the glass.