Welcome to the fifth release of the Vineyard Cellar Select Club! Our recent string of odd weather has got us dreaming of idyllic island vacations and, therefore, refreshing island wines. For this month's Cellar Select we're headed to France's Mediterranean outpost: Corsica.

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April Selections 

2023 Yves Leccia Ile de Beauté Blanc   &   2022 Yves Leccia Ile de Beauté Rouge  

Yves Leccia is one of the most well-known and respected winemakers on Corsica, having been born and raised in a small village in the heart of the islands northern wine region of Patrimonio. His family has been growing grapes and making wine on the island for over a century, probably two, and he brings all of the generational knowledge to the table with his eponymous label, with his wines having been called 'The Rolls-Royce of Corsican Wines'. After branching off from the family winery in 2004, he decided to focus on a single part of Patrimonio, the terroir of 'E Croce' that he feels is the best spot on the entire island to grow grapes. Here, a thin layer of chalk soil lays over pure schist, with vines over looking the Gulf of St. Florent. Yves has an extreme attention to detail, and believes that if you want something done right you best do it yourself, which means that every bottle that leaves his cellar has been meticulously cared for. He avoids the use of oak (odd given his last name is Corsican for 'oak') with all wines fermenting and aging in a variety of concrete vat and steel tank. His red and white which are featured here are the entry-tier wines from the 'Ile de Beauté' appellation and highlight the traditional grapes of the region. The Blanc is a blend of Vermentinu (70%) and Biancu Gentile (30%) that undergo a 24-hour cold soak before fermentation in steel cuves and aging in tank for 6 months before release. The result is a bright, citrus and mineral-driven white with hints of salinity that is ideal for summer salads, an afternoon at the pool, or with shellfish crudités. The Rouge behaves somewhat similarly, a blend of 30-year-old Grenache (80%) and Niellucciu (20%) that are hand-harvest and sorted before being fully de-stemmed and fermented in steel cuves. Each varietal is fermented separately for 12-15 days with daily pump-overs before final blending and an additional year aging before release. Medium-bodied, with a savory, floral character that takes us to the wild, sun-drenched rolling hills of the south of France.