First Parcel Selection in Corsica: wines made differently
My Job
A METICULOUSLY CRAFTED PARCEL SELECTION
FOR A UNIQUE COMBINATION OF SOILS
My job is called “wine merchant-maker”. This means that I buy grapes from winegrowers on the island, which I vinify. I do not cultivate the vines.
The basis is therefore above all the selection of grapes, and before the selection of grapes, that of the terroirs, which make up the essential part of the wine.
Behind each ALPA bottle, there are thousands of hours spent dreaming in the vineyards, observing, smelling, and even tasting the stones!
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A loving quest aimed at understanding with the five senses each plot, each vine, each grape variety, each climate, and their particular potential in osmosis.
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My parcel selection method is a different way of making wine: a meticulous approach, based on the assembly of soil profiles.
This approach starts from a sensory knowledge of the land and allows for the selection of tailored care for well-differentiated soil profiles, as well as the practice of “customized” viticulture, allowing for an exceptional level of grape maturity.
What is Parcel Selection?
My Plot Selection
Iin Three Steps
I. I select rows of vines on the chosen plot, according to their environment (soil type, exposure, slope, preferences of the grape variety…and of the winegrower!).
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II. The grapes are processed by our partner winegrowers according to the AOP yield criteria until the harvest. The grapes are then sorted, vinified and aged separately, then classified by aroma family.
I do the same work on several plots, hand in hand with the winegrower.
For example, I will work an east-facing Vermentinu on granite soil, a south-facing Vermentinu on limestone soil, and another on schist soil.
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III.
The vintages of each plot are tasted daily. They will join (or not) the final blend in order to achieve the perfect balance.
Thus, if I blend these three plots, the final wine will be a 100% Corsican Vermentinu, of multi-regional limestone, granite and schistose origin.
Parcel Selection: cover-up Corsica
ALPA, makes DIFFERENT Wines
Long Time
Each plot has been studied over a long period before joining ALPA selection.
The ideal microclimates, soil properties and exposures were identified and isolated for each row of vines.
Each plot is thus divided into squares to ensure that the most exceptional grapes are harvested.
A grape variety has revealed itself over time, for its ability to draw out the best expression of the soil, and to give us, vintage after vintage, the best of its fruits.
A Corsican soil puzzle
Each soil and each grape variety are pieces of the puzzle, contributing to creating a mosaic of flavors that capture a full and distinctive expression of Corsica.
Alpa expert in Corsica soils magnified in our Parcel Selection
Expertise in soils and subsoils
Photography of Corsican terroir
Granitic and Volcanic Soils
Occupying two-thirds of the island, these soils rich in silica, alumina, and potash offer our wines great finesse; I tend to favor this type of soil for Sciaccarellu-dominant grape varieties.
Schist Soils
In the east, particularly in Alpine Corsica, from Cap Corse to Castagniccia, these soils rich in calcium carbonate favor the aromas of cooked fruit and undergrowth.
Depressionary Sedimentary Soils
The Corte area, with a central trench oriented northwest-southeast, occupies 1/5 of the island and offers us very interesting crus with a lighter structure.
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Rocks with Crystal-Origin
Gneiss, granite, granulites, porphyries, diorites, and gabbros shape the terroirs of Balagne, Ajaccio, Sartène, Figari, Porto-Vecchio, and the Corte region. Diverse expressions of wines can be applied in this southern region.
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Metamorphic Rocks
Predominant in Alpine Corsica, these soils low in phosphorus and potash favor the cycle of minerals and water, with vines having to develop very deep roots to “penetrate” these poor soils. They maintain good grape acidity and have regulating effects to balance the sugar richness of the berries.
Rare Clay soils in our corsican Parcel Selection
Rare clay-limestone veins
There are only 2: one in the far north, the other in the far south… Minou is a pure expression of the latter. A terroir so exceptional that I have not made any blend of other soil profiles.
I work all of these soils with the aim of offering you wines that try to be different and well-balanced, very distinctive wines, which are truly characteristic of the Corsican terroirs.
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Shaping wines of a richness and complexity of identity, the secrets of our vineyard are revealed through the layers of its geological history, offering Corsican wine lovers a sensory experience on several levels, “stratified” in a way.
PARCEL VINIFICATION
Each parcel of ALPA selection is followed by a vinification also by parcel: each plot is vinified separately.
This guarantees the scrupulous respect of the origin, the meticulous traceability of the grapes and an exhaustive knowledge of the fruit of practically each row of vines.
This method also offers us the opportunity to preserve the natural balance specific to each parcel.
Thus, the vine is protected from any external influence: each of our wines intrinsically reveals the pinnacle of its character.
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At the heart of each vintage, the wine emerges as a full-fledged actor, with its qualities and sometimes its fragilities, which our oenologist Patrick strives to let express themselves.
At this stage, all the richness and diversity of the fruits are revealed…
The contents of the vats are subjected to daily tasting, then methodically classified by family of aromas, flavors and temperaments…
Each of our observations is recorded meticulously. The wines, tasted again and reassessed tirelessly, thus continue their evolution with a view to the full revelation of their personality.
ALPA BLEND
The book of Corsican Terroir
My final blend brings together the vintages of these unique plots in a symphony of flavors in a search for always the highest balance.
Each vintage, carefully selected and aged, brings its unique contribution to this work of liquid art, creating a taste experience… which I hope you will tell me about!
Discover the fruit of a demanding plot selection and a feminine approach to wine.
Let yourself be taken with me on a sensory journey through the Corsican lands, capturing the authenticity and – I try – the very “essence” of a little-known wine region…
