Domaine Comte Abbatucci - Ministre Impérial 2023

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

In this historic heartland of the Ajaccio wine region—where the unique collection of old local white grape varieties has raised awareness of the moral and cultural obligation to diversify the grape varieties across all of Corsica—Jean-Charles Abbatucci practices impeccable viticulture with infectious generosity. The recent vintages possess the suppleness, natural character, and smoothness one expects of them, and have shown marked improvement in consistency thanks to the close collaboration between the owner and a remarkable consulting oenologist, Emmanuel Gagnepain. The Faustine cuvée shines with pure finesse, and the grand cuvées—Collection, Ministre, Général, and Diplomate—offer the refined complexity of their pioneering blend of grape varieties. New cuvées—Monte-Bianco, Alte-Rosso, and Valle-di-Nero—are beginning to be produced, but the estate did not send them to the tasting. That will be for next year.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the wine:

A medium-intensity garnet-red color, with good brilliance. As always, the seven indigenous grape varieties are vinified and then aged in half-muids. After aeration, Ministre Impérial reveals a nuanced, precise profile reminiscent of wild blackberries. The texture is gradually refining, though it bears the sunny character of the vintage; the power is evident, and the wine’s structure is very delicate. It will be very interesting to revisit this wine after a few years of aging.

About the estate:

The history of this estate began in the 20th century with a visionary, Antoine Abbatucci, the founder of this vineyard nursery—a true repository of native Corsican grape varieties. Jean-Charles Abbatucci, Antoine’s son, took the estate to the next level (massal selections, rigorous biodynamic practices, rootstocks adapted to the soil and climate, and more). The entry-level wines are remarkable; in the magnificent blends, each grape variety contributes its own aromas, freshness, body, or texture: the wines are easy to drink and refined, thanks to the rejection of excessive intervention, and the aging process has been refined through the use of large oak casks and concrete “eggs.”