Bianco Gentile

Also known as: Biancu Gentile (Corsica)

Bianco Gentile is one of Corsica’s rarest indigenous white grape varieties – close to extinction before Jean-Charles Abbatucci rediscovered it in his vineyards in the Taravo Valley in the 1960s. The name promises gentleness, and that’s precisely what the variety delivers: a restrained aromatic profile that evokes herbs, salty air and stone fruit rather than loud fruit. The wines are clearly structured, with a vibrant acidity that recalls the chalky soils and proximity to the sea.

At Abbatucci, Bianco Gentile is vinified both as a single varietal and in blends – biodynamically and using traditional methods, partly in amphorae, partly in large wooden casks. The grapes come from ancient, ungrafted vines that survive on the sparse granite soils in southern Corsica. The result is a wine that convinces through precision rather than opulence.