Domaine U Stiliccionu
Serra di Ferro, Corsica, France
Sebastien Poly
Arriving in the early evening at Domaine U Stiliccionu; the golden hour is blue. Here in Serra Di Ferro, a village curving up the southern coast between Propriano and Ajaccio, the distant mountains, covered with pines and chestnuts, appear a dark purplish gray and give way to the scent of Corsican maquis, a tangled underbrush of rosemary, shrubs and succulents, just as the Mediterranean comes into view.
We are met by Sebastien Poly, whose energy is infectious. He took over his grandfather’s property in 2006 and converted the 4.5 hectares, to organic farming (certified since 2009) then to biodynamics. With no signs of slowing down, his estate is in a perpetual state of evolution. Taking advantage of the quality of his granitic terroirs and northern exposure, the original vines were planted in the 1960s with a predominance of Sciccarello in red and Vermentino in white. These parcels make up just a portion of his estate - the rest is dedicated to poly-culture farm complete with chickens, donkeys and cows grazing through the vineyards, in between olives and citrus trees on ancient terraces, and large untouched tracts of scubby forest.
Sebastien obsesses over purity in his wines. His careful work both in the vineyard and in his cellar has allowed him to turn experiments with using no SO2 into a consistent part of his winemaking. The results so far have been stunning. Each of Sebastien's wines are true to their island roots while still maintaining great freshness and prioritizing elegance over power.
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In the 1960s, François Casabianca, a Corsican roadmaker and wine lover planted a few hectares of Corsican varieties in the granite and clay valley of Tavaro, on his family property in Serra Di Ferro, a village near the sea between Propriano and Ajaccio, as hobby. Then, in 2006, his grandson, Sébastien Poly inherited the 4.5 hectares of vines, olive trees and beehives of the estate after studying business in Toulouse and viticulture in Cahors, New Zealand and Tokaj and made his new home his life’s work. While obviously still young, Sébestien has been able to make a name for himself quickly in France. His wines are stocked by all the best Parisian cavistes. In 2007, he acquired another 3 hectares only a few kilometers from Jean-Charles Abbatucci.
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Located in the seaside commune of Serra di Ferro in the Taravo Valley, a combination of warm temperatures, limited rainfall, granite soils, high elevations, and persistent sea breezes provides prime winemaking conditions for Sebastien to turn our graceful and vibrant wines.
While the area is primarily known for its pink granite soils with veins of schist. Sebastien recently discovered a new soil, he believes is unique to his property - dolerite (in granite family between volcanic basalt and gabbro), Working with a geologist, he’s mapped out where this soil can be found within his 7.5 ha under vine and now produces a cuvée Josephine to showcase this expression.
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The original vineyards on Sébastien’s property were planted in 1965. After Sebastien took over the property, he quickly work to obtain Demeter certification in 2009, and has since adopted a full biodynamic approach. Sebastien recently acquired another 20 hectares but will only plant a portion of this to vine, the rest is dedicated to a poly-culture farm complete with donkeys, chickens and cows grazing the property alongside citrus and olive trees and the wild maquis forestland. He currently works with 5 different parcels - all of which are north-facing to lengthen ripening and maintain freshness in the wine as well as prepare for future shifts in climatic conditions.
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After harvesting by hand in late-August/early-September, the fruit arrives in the winery and de-stemmed completely. The fruit is handled very gently. There are no pumps in the cellar, everything is by gravity. Sebastien is looking for an infusion, not extraction. Fermentation is started with a pied de cuve that Sebastien prepares every vintage. Macerations last about thirty days and fermentation is carried out with very little sulfur. Fermentation is started with a pied de cuve that Sebastien prepares every vintage. Macerations last about thirty days and fermentation is carried out completely sans soufre with none adding at bottling.
Wines
ANTICA
100% Sciaccarello from a grantic soil. It’s a selection of various parcels on the property, each a little different each year. It’s fermented and aged exclusively in demi-muids. "Antica" translates to "ancient" in the local Corsican dialect and is a reference to "old school" styled Corsican reds.
DAMIANU
Damianu is also 100% Sciaccarello from a granitic soil. It comes from a particular and isolated parcel of Sciaccarello that Sebastien has identified as getting better ripeness than the fruit he uses for Antica. This is due to mostly a difference in exposition. This cuvée is not produced every year. "Damianu" is named after Sebastien's son.
KALLISTE
80% Sciaccarello and 20% Nielluccio from a schist based soil. Fermentation usually lasts for two days and macerations for about 45 days. After fermentation, 20% of the volume is kept in demi-muid for 18 months. Kalliste translates to the “most beautiful one” in Greek. It is what the Greeks called Corsica.
SOTTU SCALA
Sottu Scala is made from the last picked Sciaccarellu at Domaine U Stiliccionu as Sebastien wants to push phenolic maturity. It is fermented in a combination of tapered vats and demi-muids and pressed by foot. Maceration lasts for about 45 days. “Sottu Scala” translates to “under the stairs,” a reference to keeping the wine and letting it age. It is Sebastien's vin de guarde and his most structured wine.
A VINOTECA CARCAGHJOLO
Carcajolo Nera is a native Corsican grape once planted widely but abandoned in the early 20th century to the point of near extinction. The fruit is de-stemmed and macerates for four weeks. The wine is fermented in demi-muids and ages for 24 months before bottling.
VERMENTINO EMY LIDIA
100% Vermentino grown on granite. It is whole cluster pressed and fermented entirely in stainless steel. Sebastien renamed the wine, Emy Lidia (after his daughter) starting with the 2017 vintage.