Grape Variety: Niellucio

Colour: Red

Nielluccio is for Patrimonio what the Sciacarello is for Ajaccio. Indisputably the Niellucio belongs to the Corsican ampelographic patrimony although it is a type of vine, native to Tuscany, the Sangiovese, whose first scientific description is given by Vilifranchi in 1773 in a book, oenologiza Toscana, published in Florence. Cinelli in 1783, in his ampelography of the town of Sinalunga, names it Trignolo, Pignolo or Prugnolo, a designation still used in certain regions. It may have been the Genovese who have introduced the Sangiovese in Corsica although no document can support this hypothesis.

Niellucciu, as it is known locally, is the variety which gives the wines of Patrimonio their renown. It produces a full-bodied wine of a deep red colour, supple and rich, said to have “un nez de fourrure de lièvre et de règlisse”: a nose of “hare-fur” (a term used to describe its subtle gamey bouquet) and liquorice. These wines also have scents of red berries, violets, spices and apricots.

The Clos Culombu from Etienne Suzzoni is made from 50% Niellucio, 30% Sciaccarello 30% with Syrah 10% and Grenache 10%. It undergoes a pre-fermentation cold soaking for six days, followed by twenty-six day maceration with “pigeages”. Indecently purple, with a complex nose of red fruits, spice, jam and liquorice it fills the mouth with rich fruit flavours and reveals a good tannic structure.

Serve this red with grilled pork with rosemary, beef tartar, thin-sliced carpaccio of beef with basil, civet de lapin—rabbit cooked with thyme, laurel and garlic and Corsican cheeses with herbs – but not necessarily at the same time all together.