Sartène blanc, Castellu di Baricci - 2023

Castellu di Baricci nestles in the heart of the Ortolo Valley, in the commune of Sartène. At the foot of the Omu di Cagna mountains, which rise to 1217 metres, it has been run since the early 19th century by the same family that helped make the local vineyards famous. The estate took its name from a medieval castle overlooking the valley. It is now run by the courageous and talented Elisabeth Quilichini. The 16 hectares of vines are planted with Corsican grape varieties that comply with organic farming specifications. The soil is a decomposition of granitic arena, which takes the form of silts and sands. The vines are planted on hillsides, facing south-east, at a density of 4,700 vines/hectare. The nearby Cagna mountain provides a wide temperature range between day and night. For the wine that concerns us here, on 4 hectares, the estate practises cordon de royat pruning, manual green harvesting, light ploughing and clay-based phytosanitary treatments. The grapes are harvested by hand in the morning in crates. After a light de-stemming, the grapes are vatted in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, and regular pumping-over and racking punctuate the natural alcoholic fermentation, without the addition of yeast. After a 5-week vatting period, the wine is matured in oak tuns for 12 to 18 months.