Figari Amphora Clos Canarelli 2020

Lot presentation

Figari Amphora Clos Canarelli 2020

The wine

Amphora owes its name to its maturation in traditional amphora jars! Native grape varieties are cultivated according to biodynamic methods and enjoy the hot, windy climate on this clay-limestone terroir. Yields average around 25 hl/ha thanks to so-called “green-harvesting” (thinning crop on the vine to manage the ripening of remaining grape clusters). Harvests here are manual and the fruit is table-sorted, de-stemmed and fermented using indigenous yeasts. The wine matures in clay amphorae and then spends 4 months in 6 year-old barrels; it is neither fined nor filtered before bottling. Maturing in amphorae allows the wine to mellow and refine its tannins. Fruit aromas open on the nose with scents of the maquis Corsican shrub, combined with a remarkable freshness. Great ageing potential to boot! Serve this wine at 17°C with a lamb stew or a fillet of beef.

Yves Canarelli has turned this family property into one of Corsica’s most iconic estates. The 38-hectare vineyard lies south of the Figari appellation, one of France’s sunniest winemaking regions. There, the wind and nearby mountains help produce wines of great finesse and balance (despite their richness!).
At the estate, all wines are produced according to biodynamic principles. All work in the vineyard and harvesting is carried out by hand and no weedkillers, synthetic pesticides or chemical fertilisers are used. And it doesn’t stop there as Yves Canarelli - who took over his father’s 10 hectare - is on a mission to reintroduce local varieties, the white being Bianco Gentile and the reds Carcaghjolu Neru and Minustellu. Since 2016, the estate has invested in and replanted a plot of five hectares on the Bonifacio plateau.
Clos Canarelli produces two wines that are not to be missed: Terra d'Orazi, a red wine from non-grafted vines that date back to before the phylloxera crisis, and Amphora, a wine vinified in clay amphorae. White wines as well as rosés and reds are enjoyed for their openness and energy. Harmony, minerality and pronounced flavours are also reasons to try these wines. To take the words of French wine guide Bettane & Desseauve, “for the moment, there is now rival for this estate in Corsica.” A producer to follow very closely.


Read our article on Clos Canarelli