Domaine Pieretti 2019 Rosé Coteaux du Cap Corse

750ml bottle

12.5% abv

70% Nielluccio, 30% Grenache
Estate vineyards. Steep mountain slopes as well as sea side plots. Clay and Schist soils.
Vine age: 20 to 70 years old
Farming: Lutte Raisonée. She has some vineyards certified organic, others she prefers to not certify but farm as close to organic as she feels she can.
Winemaking: Hand harvested at the coolest time of day. Harvested for Rosé - not Saignée. Put directly into cold storage to drop temperature. Fermented in steel with yeast cultured from vineyard. Fermented and aged in steel.

Rosé really does work well in Corsica. It's hard not to grab the slightly pink hued bottle when the Mediterranean Sea is sparkling in the background. This one is fresh and bright but also a little savory. The palate has more depth than the color would lead you to believe. It conveys the character of the Cap Corse quite well.

The Pieretti name has been associated with grape growing in Corsica for generations. The Domaine was founded by her grandfather, but the family history goes back beyond the founding of Domaine Pieretti. Lina took over 3HA from her father in 1989, a hard year marked by tragic wildfires in Corsica. She has since grown the domaine to 14HA - which is truly something considering the total area of the Cap Corse appellation is below 40HA. As one might imagine, she is one of only a handful of vignerons making wine here. The vines, like most vines in the Cap Corse, are dramatically positioned either stunningly close to the sea or on steep mountain slopes.

Lina is very precise about farming and while some of her vineyards are certified organic, others she finds too inaccessible to be 100% organic. Regardless, the farming is clean and responsible.

The winemaking is simple and straightforward. The only thing she does that might be considered a winemaking 'trick' is to cool the fruit down before fermentation. She harvests early in the morning and then leaves the grapes in a cold room for a bit before processing the fruit. The reds undergo spontaneous fermentation and the white and rosé are innoculated with a cultured yeast from the property. Most wines see only steel. Lina is a charming but direct woman, something that I am sure has served her well as one of only a few women making wine in Corsica. Her wines relect this personality as well as the water, wind and rocks that define the Cap Corse.