Domaine de Comte Abbatucci

On the scenic island of Corsica, Abbatucci is a householdname—a local hero of the French Revolution and comrade-in-arms of fellow Corsican, Napoléon Bonapart. Here,grand boulevards and public plazas bear his name, as doesthe island’s most important domaine.

Run by Jean-Charles Abbatucci, a direct descendent of thegénéral, Comte Abbatucci also serves as a vine nursery,conserving many of the island’s indigenous varieties. Assuch, a diversity of grapes cover the domaine’s 30 hectaresof steep granite slopes, ranging from popular Italianvarieties like Vermentino and Nielluccio (the local name forSangiovese) to more obscure and largely forgotten gemslike Sciaccarello, Barbarossa and Bianco Gentile.

Robert Parker listed Clos des Papes as one of the Top 155 Producers in the World.

Comte Abbatucci gained biodynamic certification in 2006,reflecting its holistic approach to preserving a diverseecosystem of flora and fauna. Here, Merino sheep grazethe vineyards, while, in an admittedly less-conventionalapproach to tending the vines, local polyphonic music ispiped over loudspeakers in the vineyards. According toAbbatucci, the grapes react to the musical vibrations, in turnmaking them healthier. He’s also been known to bring inviolinists from the French National Orchestra to serenade hisvines.

Whether you buy into the effect of musical vibrationson winemaking or not, there is magic in the madness.According to David Schildknecht in The Wine Advocate,“Abbatucci’s wines will stretch your palate, yourimagination and even your notions about what wine is orcan be. (And you’ll have fun drinking them!)”

"It boasts a cool, fresh nose of strawberries, cola and tree bark, yet it's full-bodied and tannic on the palate."

WA96 by Joe Czerwinski

2017 Clos des Papes • Chateauneuf du Pape

He blends grapes from his different plots to co-ferment in large vats, after which he then re-blends in to large 20-55 hectoliter wooden foudres (casks) to mature for 15 months. New or small barrels are never used, “I like the oak to make an indirect impact – I only want tannins from the grape skins not even the pips and certainly not the stalks” says Avril. And though it may not be widely known, this domaine has been buying corks from the same producer in Portugal ever since 1926!

The wines are no doubt enticing, garnering great praise from many publications and critics such as Wine Spectator who awarded their 2005 vintage as “Wine of the Year”, stating that “in the Southern Rhône's recent trio of great vintages starting with 2003, no other Châteauneuf-du-Pape domaine has produced better wines than Clos des Papes”. But the accolades don’t stop there, as Robert Parker followed on to pronounce the 2007 vintage “the greatest Chateauneuf du Pape made since 1978 and 1990”.

We at Ginsberg+Chan are extremely proud to be the exclusive distributors of Clos des Papes, and with good volumes of both red and white back vintages too, we can ensure you a wide range of drinking windows for your cellar.