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.


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Clos Canarelli stretches across 38 hectares with an extraordinary range of grape varieties. This white is a single-variety Vermentinu, a native Corsican grape whose vines are grown according to biodynamic and organic methods on the clay-granite soils of this domaine, enjoying their hot, windy local climate. Yields average around 25 hl/ha, thanks in part to their technique of “green-harvesting” (thinning crop on the vine to manage the ripening of remaining grape clusters). In the winery, the fruit is de-stemmed and fermented using indigenous yeasts. Wine is then bottled after a 6–8 month maturation in barrels and vats, without fining or filtration. It has an attractive pale yellow colour, revealing fruits and white flowers on the nose with citrus and vanilla emerging on the palate, enhanced by a unctuous texture and fine length in the mouth. An unmissable Corsican cuvée. Serve this wine at 12°C and pair it with a dish like pork in sauce or seafood pasta.