Grand Cru Selections

Clos Venturi

Clos Venturi

Ponte Leccia, Corsica, France

 

Manu Venturi

 
 

Located high and deep in Corsica’s forested interior, Clos Venturi exists on a isolated sandstone hill, between two mountain ranges in the high altitude village of Ponte Leccia, at the crossroads to Bastia, Ajaccio and Calvi. Manu Venturi, a native Corsican with deep roots to the area has spent the last seventeen years building upon the heroic work of his father, Jean-Marc to make light on this special terroir and preserve the beauty and biodiversity of his Island.

His 25 hectares of vines are interplanted with 19 different native Corsican varieties surrounded by scrubby forest. The property is pristine, from an almost religious approach to biodynamic agriculture to their meticulous organization of the sheep, chickens, horses, and cows that coexist on the hill. The results are wines that enchanted us with their layered texture, freshness and extraordinary aromatic intensity, evoking the heady scents of the Corsican maquis - a mix of eucalyptus, juniper, rosemary, yellow immortelle, myrtle, sage, mint, thyme and lavender.

“My philosophy is the same everywhere: high environmental value, organic agriculture, biodynamic agriculture, permaculture, breeding, bee-keeping ... I made these choices for the preservation of my island, my land, the men and women who live there and, more globally, the planet. I am not a utopian, nor an esoteric dogmatic, I am simply a farmer in love with nature and every day I work on this alchemy, I try to observe it, understand it and accompany it simply to pay homage to it. This makes me and my wines better, if not better, then at least consistent with what we are and what our land expresses.”

-MANU VENTURI

  • Jean-Marc Venturi attended oenology school in the 1960s and went to work to manage a cooperative on the east coast of Corsica. In the 1980s he purchased Domaine Vico, an estate with magnificent terroir that had fallen on hard times. Created in 1901 by Jean Vico, this was an isolated property located at the crossroads of the roads leading to Bastia, Ajaccio and Calvi, in the high altitude village of Ponte Leccia. It is the only Corsican vineyard located in the center of the island.

    Jean-Marc’s son, Manu grew up between the two places and after leaving for mainland France to pursue studies in law and tourism, he eventually returned back to the island. Upon his return, his father proposed a new project. In 2005, father and son created Clos Venturi from the detachment of the best vineyards of Domaine Vico,

    Manu took the reigns and setoff on replanting native island grapes: Vermentinu, Nielluccio, Sciaccarello, Bianco Gentile, Genovese and concentrated on cuvées that bring together grape varieties from the north and south of the island.

  • Clos Venturi is a 28-hectare plot of land in the center of Corsica, located near the commune of Piedigriggio. The particularity of their terroir lies in its very varied geology and climate. It is a sandstone hill in the middle of a small valley totally preserved and wild. This atypical geological zone is called the central fault of Corsica; it is a hill of ancient sandstone dating from the Miocene laid on a 100 million more recent magmatic zone. Plots are a mosaic of any soil found in Corsica.

    The median altitude of the vines are between 400 and 480 meters but the surrounding mountains exceed 2000 meters. This original location makes it the Corsican terroir farthest from the sea and the highest in elevation - this placement makes for an ideal climatology, combining continental freshness and southern maturity.

  • Ambitious viticulture work has been carried out based on healthy, sustainable agriculture. Key elements include: parcel selection, replanting of native grape varieties, organic cultivation and use of native yeasts. The Clos received it’s Demeter certification in 2020, however biodynamic viticulture practices have been in place starting in 2006. Since 2019, they’ve tended to a herd of sheep in the vineyard allowing natural weeding of the vines while providing manure to the land and reducing soil compaction. They also keep bees and breed chickens at the estate and plow by horse.

    The vines are on average about 30 years old. With the exception of Syrah, they are made up of 19 different indigenous grape varieties. Since 2015, Clos Venturi has been recognized as HVE - High Environmental Value and is the only winery to benefit from this certification on the Island.

  • The cellar is remarkably equipped, with an assortment of vessels of barrel, tank and egg, wood, concrete, stainless steel. In general, the red wines macerate for 30 days at low temperature. The aging takes place in concrete vats and foudre for a year, then in the bottle for 10 months.

    For white wines, a light filtration takes place. Aging on the lees in stainless steel vats for 6 to 8 months is followed by 3 to 6 months in the bottle.

Wines

Clos Venturi [les clos] Blanc

100% Vermentinu grown on sandstone with south/southeast exposition. 100% destemmed. Direct pneumatic pressing with 48h-72h skin contact. Temperature controlled fermentation with native yeast in stainless steel tank. 8-9 months on the lees. No fining, cold settling and light filtration before bottling.

Brama Biancu Gentile

100% Biancu Gentile, Vin de France A native white variety in Corsica, lower in acidity than vermentinu but with more intense aromatics and texture. 100% destemmed. Direct pneumatic pressing, 8 days skin contact. Fermented in concrete egg. Aging 8 months on fine lees in steel tank. No fining, cold settling and light filtration before bottling.

Altare Blanc

Parcel selection of Biancu Gentile, Vermentinu, Riminese, Genovese Carcaghjolu Blanc. Vin de France. Single vineyard that forms a natural 200° amphitheater; north-east to south-east exposure with vines on average 10 years old vines. 5000 vines/ha terraced, plowed only by horse power. Paulsen rootstock, Sandstone from Miocene. 100% destemmed. Pneumatic pressing and cold skin contact 48h - 72h. Fermentation in wooden cask with indigenous yeast. 12 months in cask on lees and 6 months in bottle. Partly malolactic fermentation. No fining and unfiltered

Chiesa Nera Blanc

A parcel selection of Biancu Gentile, Vermentinu, Genovese. Vin de France. Grown on sandstone with south/southeast exposition. 100% de-stemmed; Pneumatic pressing and 48-72 hours of cold shin contact. Fermentation in concrete eggs with native yeast, followed by aging 20 months in concrete eggs on fine lees followed by 4-6 months in bottle.

Clos Venturi [les clos] Rouge

50% Niellucciu, 40% Sciaccarellu, 10% Carcaghjolu Neru 30 year old vines, sandstone southeast exposition. Partially de-stemmed; following fermentation in 40hl oak cask (40 hl) with indigenous yeasts. Maceration lasted for 45 days and the cap was punched down 1 times/day (pigeage). 14 - 18 months of maturing for a part in wooden cask. Unfined/lightly filtered

Brama - Sciaccarellu Rouge

100% Sciaccarellu. AOP Corse. 30 years-old vines grown on sandstone with a southeast exposition. 100% de-stemmed. Fermented in foudre and oak barrel with indigenous yeast. Maceration lasted for 45 days and the cap was punched down 1 times/day. 14 - 18 months of maturing. No fining and very light filtration.

Brama - Carcaghjolu Neru

100% Carcaghjolu Neru. Vin de France. Vines were planted in 1989 on Miocene sands and sandstoneand double grafted in 2010. Hand-picked and transported in trays. 1/2 de-stemmed & 1/2 whole cluster fermentation. Fermented in oak cast with indigenous yeast. Maceration and fermentation lasted for 20 days and the cap was punched down 1-2 times/day. Aged 14 - 18 months in oak cast. No fining and very light filtered

Altare Rouge

100% Sciaccarellu. AOP Corse. Grown on sandstone and grantite with sand. Northwest orientation. The vineyards are worked by horse and biodynamic methods. Highest rows of this terraced plot is at an altitude of 450 meters. Partially de-stemmed, fermented in 12 hls casks with native yeasts. 35 day maceration with 1 push-down per day. Aged for 14-18 months in oak cast. No fining or filtration.

Chiesa Nera Rouge

Literally, “Black Church” this cuvée is a symbol of the Venturi family’s intergenerational transmission, Manu’s memories spent with his grandfather and a way to celebrate the old, native varieties of the island. Vin de France Plot selection of Aletico, Niellucciu, Sciaccarellu, Minustellu, Carcaghjolu Neru, Moresconu, Vermentinu Soils: Sandstone, southeast exposition

Partially de-stemmed harvest. Native yeast fermentation in 40hl oak cask (40 hl).Maceration lasted for 45 days and the cap was punched down 1 times/day (pigeage). 14 - 18 months of maturing in wooden cast (demi-muid) and 4-6 months in bottle. No fining and very light filtered.